


An Untouchable love

by Pootz



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-08-14 10:36:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20190889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pootz/pseuds/Pootz
Summary: Mermaids were a species of myth, legend & the past. They haven't been seen for almost 1000 years and were thought to have died in their last war against the humans. But they didn't and now they want to defend the land they also cherish. You were sent to the council in Rivendell to represent your people.From there your true journey started, it would be one of forgiving and accepting humans, friendship with other races and a wish for eternal love.





	1. Infomation that is good to know in preparation for the story

Nenlindo, Mermaids. Are a people of Ulmo. A people known for their ethereal beauty of voice and appearance. They were created during the early days, but they were already splintered when Ossë lead a few of them into the arms of Melkor. Those became sirens, leaving their beauty, the sea and water for wings, the cliffs and skies, which they rule with their beautiful voices.  
Since Mermaids lived in the sea that was the limit for others, they could roam freely. While many remained in the open and safe sea, some travelled inward, to both Middle-earth and Aman. The fresh-water mermaids of middle-earth were darker in colours, featuring fish-like patterns on their body with murky and natural colours that would hide them in the rivers and lakes from potential human poachers. Their bodies are broader in shoulders and they are very powerful creatures, with the ability to throw a spear over many miles.  
The salt-water mermaids, living close to the coast of middle-earth, who had never seen the light of Aman, were the most colourful of them all, with brilliant colours of the entire rainbow, from oranges to pink and turquoise. Whilst the ones living by Amen’s coastline, Dûnnenlindo, were less colourful, pure light with faint pastel colours. It is the same for the fresh-water amen mermaids.  
Unlike their middle-earth counterpart, these can use various abilities, such as telepathy, water manipulation, partial-shapeshifting (from fishtail to legs), aquatic perception (the ability to sense everything that happens within the body of water you are focused on) and partial precognition. Their alcohol tolerance is also impossibly high, since they, like the elves, are thought as a more sophisticated group. Many mermaids who walk on land have the bonus of being able to walk on every shape of water without even making a dent on its surface.  
The body of a salt-water mermaid was also built differently, more streamline to accommodate for the bigger distances they could swim, which meant they are less broad in the shoulders and are often thereby likened to elves with their petite physique, yet it has no influence on their strength.  
But there are many weaknesses that come with this: their heat tolerance is lower than that of other races, salt is also something they do not tolerate as much (mostly only the fresh-water ones) as it can lead to visions and temporary paralysation. The new moon is their weakest point of the month, but the strongest for a siren.  
History hasn’t either been pleasant to them, mermaids had to fear both sirens and humans for a long time. Since they would often be hunted down, slaughtered and used for entertainment. But there were also many wars between humans and mermaids over the ages, the most current one was almost 700 years ago, the battle by Edhellond. That was the last time a mermaid has been spotted and they faded into memory, becoming a myth, dangerous and vain monsters of the sea.


	2. The first meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I followed your calling away from home,  
where it took me over stick and stone.  
your words were like honey,  
witty and funny.  
And I forgot my land of foam.  
For you made me feel like I was never alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the LOTR characters, neither am I the lord of mermaids, sirens or any of the languages Tolkien invented. 
> 
> but I did write any song and poem that will occur in this story. (unless I say otherwise)

Aereth, daughter of Alqualaurë and a commander of the royal army of the west. Was selected by her king to go to the land of Endor and represent the West in it. On her journey she would be in company of three from the eastern coasts of Middle-earth and together they would travel up the rivers to get there.   
She left her kings castle and prepared for her departure. It would be the first time she would be walking upon earth for over 1000 years, she has forgotten how mountains look, the smell of the forest and how the earth felt under her feet. It filled her with an excitement that should not be there, for she is there to represent a calmness that would be worthy of her people. Before she would leave, she wrote a letter for both her parents and her 3 siblings, to tell them of her mission. It might be the last thing they hear from her if she isn’t careful.   
The day of her departure was celebrated by their entire city, with music and song that only the Valar might match in beauty. But the long way through the sea was almost as pretty, she recalled all the missions she has had that led her through these same parts, they grew less and less the further she swam away from home. She could also watch as the creatures around her changing into less familiar ones, and at one point, she was alone. The only thing that surrounded her were distant cries and darkness. It was her sixth night out in the open waters of Belegaer and her chances of meeting anyone here was very low according to her memories. But at the rise of the sun she was greeted by the shape of a whale, singing while swimming past her “Namárië, Uin” she answered its song. It seemed to have heard her, for he opened its mouth and out came a song of mermaids, wishing her a fast and successful journey to her love.   
She arrived soon in the city of the other mermaids, Goldmoon. She was greeted with song and food. They were all colourful and radiant, she stuck out like a sore thumb. The lord and lady welcomed her warmly, yet it felt very mechanical, as if it was rehearsed, and sent her off equally as serenely. The three that would travel with her were all gorgeous colours of the rainbow, with greens, reds, yellows and blues. Their colours weren’t the only thing that differentiated them, they all talked to Aereth with an air of nobility and honour, as if she was royalty or magical. It drew a certain distance between the four of them.  
Whilst they were traveling up the river the three others told tales of their cities and of the other races they had seen. From what Aereth could make out from their stories were two of them older than her (ca 5000 & 3000 years old) and one younger (around 1000 years old). During the second night they rested and that was the first time she saw middle-earth’s rich field and landscapes as they were camping by the water. “Woooow” the younger merman said, the other two chuckled at his response. “you haven’t seen much of our lands than, eh?” the 3000-year-old said, “Not these parts of it” he answered as he stroke over the soft grass with his webbed fingers. Aereth smiled, as she watched the scene play out. “I must’ve been your age when I last saw these fields” the oldest said to her. “Then I must walk in your path, it seems” Aereth spoke calmly, “tell me, why is it that one like you would leave the undying lands for this?” they asked her. She scanned the old merman’s face for a second, “I wanted to see the land of my ancestors” her voice was quiet as to not make her lie as obvious. “Do you have control over that slight shine of yours?” the youngest one asked her after a while of chatting and warming up to each other. She smiled, “not really, I’m afraid. I suppose it will be of little help if our goal is to stay undetected” she apologized, “I do not think that it is detectable from any further distance, I only saw it now on closer contact” the second oldest spoke.

It was only three days later that they arrived at their destination. It was also the amount of time it took for Aereth to learn the names of the other three. Secolum, was the oldest, he had lived through many conflicts as a war strategist and had seen many things yet had an air of happiness to him, Minbell, the second oldest, she had lived her whole life as a consult for the lord and lady of Goldmoon and finally, Phatanse, the youngest one, was a negotiator for the south and has yet to see what he talks about.   
The river couldn’t help them from here, as it ended in a waterfall and they had no choice but to walk the last distance. They were met by many curious eyes in the city. “we were invited by a lord Elrond; do you know where we can find him?” Minbell asked an elf. “yes, of course, that way” they said and pointed the group into the maze of beautiful architecture. While Secolum and Minbell lead the way, Aereth was taking in her surrounding, it was nothing like the cities at home, these were simpler, compacter and this gave it a more sophisticated air to it. But it wasn’t the biggest change to home, these elves were darker in hair colour and less radiant, it made them almost appear human. The thoughts of Phatanse were the complete opposite, this was magical and wonderful to him, it was his first time seeing an elf city and seeing elves as well. Since they would not dwell at the coasts south of Gondor as much as humans.   
They were now led up the stairs by an elleth, presumably to meet the lord of this city. His home was like the others, simple and elegant. Nothing here was as magical as it was at home for Aereth, so it was somewhat disappointing. “Welcome, to Rivendell” suddenly a voice could be heard, “Mae govannen” Secolum answered it, it was most likely to the lord himself. He greeted them with a speech in Sindarin, unfortunately for Elrond, because only Secolum could it fluently enough to understand him. “Ú-bedif edhellen” Minbell said, which made Elrond stop in his words. He let out a small chuckle and apologized, “My apologies. You must be hungry after such a long journey, come, we have prepared a dinner for you” he said while leading them inside, he seemed somewhat reluctant to repeat his speech in English, which was somewhat sad.   
Aereth only understood bits and pieces, it was mostly a welcome and telling them how great they were to travel and that tomorrow something would happen, most likely that the counsel would be held then.   
They sat down at a table filled to the brim with different foods and wine. The group sat down and were joined by Elrond shortly thereafter. Elvish music could be heard shortly thereafter, with lyres and other elegant string instruments, it was a soft tune that would be used by Aereth’s people to sooth the youngest and during the day of a wedding, as everyone would need to save their voices for the night. “tell me, people of the sea, what do you know about the one ring to rule them all?” Elrond asked them. “It has only one master and prays upon the weak to return to him” Minbell answered, all of them knew about it, but in different amounts. They all gave similar answers, they were partly passively aggressive towards humans and how their foolish selfishness would always lead to the ring’s survival.   
Soon Elrond had to leave, and they were left alone with the music. Aereth closed her eyes and listened to the waterfall nearby and for just a second, she felt at home. Soon a humming started from one of them and they all ended up joining it. Making the elvish music almost three times as beautiful with simple humming. The entire group of Elves and mermen were harmoniously continuing and soon Minbell started a tune and the other two joined in. but Aereth stayed quiet, it must’ve been an eastern song.  
This evening, the entire city was listening to a song of mermaids. Many of the newly arrived would be hearing the same tune and amongst them, was a lovely prince of Mirkwood. 

Many more songs would follow, and they ended up shutting down the musicians with their voices. “is there a song you would like to sing, Aereth?”, “I’m not sure if you would be familiar with any of the songs I know” she answered, “Try me” Minbell challenged her playfully.   
“Through depthless waters and hightless coast  
I heed your call of starlight glow  
Leading me to a valley of old  
Where men can’t cross, and monsters won’t go  
Your light will shine like glimmering gold  
And guide my way to the land westernmost.   
The distance I walked, the distance I swam.  
As a gift I received what no mortal can.  
I finally saw what mostly was told,  
A land of beauty no one could behold.”  
They ended up not knowing the hymn of the Teleri. She stopped her song, since it only would become more depressing and ruin the happy mood that now existed in the room. “Are you the one from the undying lands?” one of the elves asked Aereth. She nodded, “yes, but technically only from the coast” she said, trying to play it off a little. “how is it there? Are the lands covered in light?” they continue, with every question it becomes more and more uneasy and it ended with Phatanse screaming, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPANY, WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE NOW” and all four merfolk leaving the table. After that they all bid each other good night and were led to their chambers. 

Aereth ended up restless and left her bed for a walk amongst the starlight garden trees. There she took in the beauty of her surrounding, sucking it all in to tell her parents and friends. But she wasn’t alone, she sensed another creature near her in the darkness and it was one with a familiar sense of magic, as if they were from home. She walked towards the other person quietly, wanting to find out who it might be.   
There he was, by the fountain sat an elf, with pure blond hair, tightening his bow with care. Something was different about him, but before she could continue her observation he spoke up, “I only shoot orcs with this bow”, he looked up in her direction with a smile,” So, there is no need for you to hide”. She walked out of her spot, “What makes you so certain I’m not an orc?” she joked. He cocked his head, “you are too far the opposite to be ever mistaken for an orc” he said. “I have yet to see one to know if that would be a compliment” she answered, now standing with him by the fountain. “Oh really? Where would you be from to avoid them, I’m curious” he asked. “Aman” she spoke. He was a bit taken aback by that response, “it is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Aereth Alqualauriell” she said meeting his eyes, they were a beautiful ocean blue. “And I’m Legolas Thrandullion, from the Mirkwood forest, which is actually true” he said. “you don’t believe me?” she questioned. “It is very challenging to do so, yes” he answered, taking off the string. “should I prove it to you then?” she asked playfully. “blow me away, with thy magic” he said with a smile. “fine, think of any word, any singular thing that comes to your mind.” She said and looked him in the eyes. He did, but in Sindarin. She sighed, “could please not think in Sindarin for this” she said. He smirked and with that a new word came to his mind, cute, no wait, nock point, what even is that? “What is a nock point?” she asked, confused by his seemingly made up words. “on a bow it is where you put the arrow to shoot it” he answered with a smile. “so, do you believe me?” she asked, “you could’ve guessed that” he teased and strung a new bow string to his bow. She smiled, “then tell me, what I’m thinking of if it is that simple” she returned, he looked her deep in the eyes, “You’re thinking about the waterfall” he stated, “close, but I was thinking about a rapier” she said, motioning to it’s handle in her belt.  
He chuckled, “then what is it that brings you here then?” he asked, putting away his bow. “My king wanted me to bring a message to the people of middle-earth” she said, sitting down on the edge of the fountain. “what would that be?” he asked, joining her. “Sirens have been spotted flying inlands, leaving the cliffs and seas. It doesn’t sound like much, but these creatures flourish in such environments, so there must be something that is calling them here” she said, looking at her shoes, it was an unfamiliar and weird feeling on her feet since for her they still felt like fins. “sirens, aren’t those water dwelling?” he asked, it was clear that elves and humans had not heard much from her people in a while. “sirens are mermaids that turned to the dark lord and left their former lord and his water for a life in the sky, as murderous singers luring men and anyone who hears their song to their death” Aereth explained. “I apologise, I did not know” he said, “oh no it’s alright, there is nothing to be ashamed about. but what about orcs? You told me they were different from me, how?” she asked to make him feel better. He smiled, “they are remnants of elves that were taken by the dark lord, smelling of decay and death, with a visage matching their foul odour” he said, glancing down at her, “you’ll know when you see one” he added.   
“so, the opposite of that…” she pondered, “So either I smell horrible and look amazing or vice versa. Since I just came from the sea, I will go with the first alternative” she said, looking up at him with a knowing grin. “you should get some sleep” he said with an amused tone. “but first I want to know why you came here” she protested. “Well, my father sent me to tell Gandalf and the counsel about the escape of Gollum” he said. Her face told him that she didn’t understand what he meant. “well, it is kind of hard to explain in a short manner” he said.  
“then I will try to hunt you down tomorrow for the story” she said, standing up. “I will try my best to escape from the elf with the rapier then” he said. “you think I’m an elf?” she turned to him. “Are you not?” he asked. “you will have to let me find you tomorrow to find out I guess” she said with a smile. “deal”


	3. The final morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of the council. The rivalry between men and mermen became somewhat clear for the first time. It was not like the one between elves and dwarves. Here one was the prey and the other the hunter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try out a new style of writing. Now all columns begin with a new sentence! I do hope the characters aren't too much out of character. It is hard to write one if you cannot find your book series.

It was now morning, Aereth sat up in her bed. Her long hair hanging down over the edge of the bed like branches. The sunlight shone through the glassless windows and illuminated her room perfectly. Outside the waterfall was singing pleasantly, the water having an unfamiliar smell to it. She knew that this was only temporary, but she already missed home and all the opportunities she would use once she got back. But there were things she had to tend to before that, such as hearing the story of the stranger from yesterday and informing the council of the growing threat coming from the sea.  
A soft came from the door and she crawled her way out of bed to answer it. On the other side was another elf, one like the others, without the glow of Aman.  
“good morning, my lady, the council will begin shortly, I was sent to escort you there immediately.” He spoke with a very soft voice, she nodded,  
“give me one second please” she rushed to ger a pair of pants on and her shoes and then hurried after the elf.  
When she arrived there, the other three of her associates were already there. while Minbell was seated beside an elf, Phatanse was already arguing with the humans and Secolum was looking over the land in the company of an old magician.  
“the mountains are smaller than I remember them to be” Secolum,  
“stone and water are both things of eternity, yet the soft water has the ability to carve through even the hardest of mountains” Aereth said, joining their conversation with a quote from her favourite author.  
“good morning Aereth, I was afraid that you would oversleep” Secolum spoke,  
“I wouldn’t want to miss something of such grave importance” she smiled.  
“Ah, may I introduce you to Gandalf the wise and grey” Secolum turned to his conversation partner.  
“it is a pleasure to meet you” she said, bowing her head slightly.  
“I heard about you, Aereth, daughter of Alqualaurë. Tell me. what brings the commander of the royal western army all the way to middle-earth?” Gandalf asked with a polite tone.  
Yet before she could answer, Elrond arrived and with him the silence took over the conversations and everyone sat down amongst their people. It was only now that she spotted the stranger from last night and she greeted him with a nod, which he returned.  
“Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You’ve been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. you will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom… Bring forth the Ring, Frodo. “Elrond gestured to the pedestal and a halfling, Frodo, did as asked of him.  
“so it is true…” a man whispers. After Frodo sat back down, a wave overcame Aereth, as if the ring was trying to speak to her, play with her and seduce her. But she prevailed and so did her fellow merman, yet Minbell seems awfully transfixed on the item, it must’ve sensed her will to be more powerful and eat its way into her mind on that path.  
“the doom of all” Secolum whispered, getting Minbell back to reality.  
“In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark, but in the west, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: ‘your doom is near at hand. Isildur’s Bane is found’…. Isildur’s bane” the man speaks as he grows ever closer to the ring, he is watched wearily and when his fingers are reaching for the ring, both Elrond and Gandalf react.  
“Boromir!” Elrond protests his action as he leaps up.  
“Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul “as soon as the first of theses forsaken words leave Gandalf’s throat the sky turns black. Thunder starts rumbling. The council stares in fear and confusion. The echo of the ring is harsh against the ears of the mermaids and they are visibly upset.  
When the chanting finally stops, everyone is seated once again. Now with fear residing amongst them. The man with the weak will, Boromir, is amongst them.  
“Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!” Elrond scolds the magician. Angered at his actions.  
“I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the west! The ring is altogether evil. “Gandalf’s voice was now audibly tired from the force and usage of the language. He wanted to show Boromir what will come of this ring. With a final scolding glance in his direction, Gandalf sits down. Yet the man is unperturbed  
“it is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor… Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him.” Boromir argues. To Aereth it sounds like an excuse one would use to justify their own stupid actions, but this was more than just a simple action.  
“The men of Gondor aren’t the only ones to spill their blood for this land!” Phatanse protests, he knew what others were doing without for a land. Because one of them were sitting beside him.  
“the rangers of the Dunedain risk their lives for these lands aswell” Aragorn said. His people had been looked down at and only seen as dangerous outcasts.  
“And the men of the south would not have been the only one to bear this burden, if they had chosen an alliance over annihilation” Aereth spoke up, looking Boromir in the eyes. He had no right to claim such falsehoods when there are people here who would’ve been able to help.  
“That is why our weakened forces would need to wield the ring” Boromir spoke, looking down at her like a disgusting rat in a kitchen.  
“You cannot wield it! None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.” Aragorn spoke. For ones, Aereth wasn’t sure what she thought of men, for there is one that is defying everything she knows and one that is exactly what she is familiar with.  
“and what would a ranger know of this matter?” Boromir spat.  
“This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.” Legolas stood up. He defended Aragorn and his title.  
“Aragorn. This… is Isildur’s heir?” Boromir questioned, looking both suspicious and in awe at the man in question.  
“And heir to the throne of Gondor” Legolas added. But there was something in his voice that made it clear that it was something more than simply defending another man, he was defending himself too. A few of the consultants’ who did not know Aragorn were wide-eyed at this statement.  
“Havo dad, Legolas (sit down, Legolas)” Aragorn said, there was regret and a trace of bitterness in his voice that made it clear there was something wrong with what people knew of him.  
“Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king.” Boromir murmured in response and returned to his seat.  
“Aragorn is right. We cannot use it” Gandalf said. Getting back to the issue that laid before them.  
“You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed.” Elrond said. A clear pause for dramatic effect.  
“what are we waiting for?” A dwarf sprung up and with high accuracy, he shattered his ax upon the ring. The dwarf is repelled back by a strong force and left to fall on the ground. Suddenly the halfling winces in pain. He must already have a connection to the ring.  
“the ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of mount doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came... One of you must do this” Elrond explains. Belittling the dwarf somewhat. Even if he tries to be past prejudices, he is still a victim to it.  
“one does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great-eye is ever-watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire, and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10 000 men could you do this. It is folly.” Boromir recalls. He now sounds like a true person of reason. Although, his story is not entirely true.  
“Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed.” Legolas protested his grim estimation.  
“and I suppose you think you are the one to do it!” Gimli shouted, clearly seeing his protest as a sign that Legolas feels superior. That in itself could be seen as an attempt of saving the dwarfs ego. But it was mostly a stand-off between the two.  
“This is about the faith of our land. The success of this mission is of outermost importance” Aragorn tries to refocus them. His voice a softer tone than that of the thundering dwarf.  
“and if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?” Boromir questions him. Bringing up the panic and stress level once again.  
“That shall not happen as long as the ring doesn’t fall in the wrong hands” Aereth said, looking over at the man and the dwarf. It was more of a reassurance than an attack, but that was something they didn’t seem to understand.  
“I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!” Gimli shouted at her and the elves. His pride now most definitely hurt. That was the last straw for many of the people present. Men, elves, dwarfs, Gandalf, Minbell and Phatanse sprung up and argued for their own case.  
“do you think what I said was wrong, Seculom?” Aereth asked him with a softer voice. Feeling bad for her words, since it had started this mess.  
“You said something that held other intentions than what was understood. It will always be like such and there is nothing we can do about it” he answered, his voice was soothing, reminding her of her own father. They watched in silence at the unfolding scene. She even caught Legolas’ eye for just a moment before he was pulled back into arguing with the dwarves once again. 

“I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though… I do not know the way” Frodo screamed over the arguing. His words were loud, but he was unsure about his determination.  
“I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear.” Gandalf walked over to the halfling and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was clear that these two knew each other very well.  
“if by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword.” Aragorn said, rising from his seat. He kneels before the halfling and gives him this promise. No doubt in his voice.  
“and you have my bow” Legolas proclaimed, following Aragorn’s example.  
“and my ax” Gimli swore. It was clear he wouldn’t want the world to know that a dwarf was equal or even superior to an elf. Aereth was determined, if she was to respect her king and fulfill her duties as a commander, she would have to protect what is right.  
“and my spear,” she said, smiling at Frodo while standing beside the elf and dwarf. She looked back at Secolum, he nodded in approval.  
“You carry the fates of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done.” With Boromir’s words her smile went sour, but she didn’t want to show it. For just like her, he would give his life to save the land.  
“mister Frodo is not going anywhere without me!” a voice exclaimed as another hobbit jumped out of the bushes to join them. Elrond smiled  
“no indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not.” He was clearly amused by his loyalty.  
"Wait! We are coming too!" two other hobbits shout as they emerge from behind the pillar of an entrance. Clearly taking Elrond by surprise.  
"You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" one says as he places himself beside Frodo with pride very prominent in his voice.  
“anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission, quest… thing.” The other adds. He wasn’t wrong in his claim.  
“well, that rules you out pip.” But the other hobbit had a very good point, that Gandalf seemed to agree with.  
“ten companions… so be it! you shall be the fellowship if the Ring!” Elrond announced proudly. While the onlookers were watching what would be their conformation.  
“Great! Where are we going?” Pippin asked, ruining the pride his friend was feeling. His friend was clearly frustrated with him.  
“didn’t you listen? We are going to Mordor!” the other one said.  
“You shall depart tomorrow at dawn. But for now, you may enjoy your day” Elrond said and with that, the meeting ended.  
Aereth smiled at her new traveling group, 4 hobbits, 2 men, 1 dwarf, 1 magician, and 1 elf. She would be the only female on this mission. But that wasn’t the first time for her either. They all seemed to be very good with their respective weapons. From what she has seen at least Gimli and Legolas would be able to handle their weapons. She looked to her right, Legolas smiled at her,  
“do you guys want to join us for breakfast?” Pippin asked them, he was already at the exit with the other three hobbits.  
“thank you, Pippin, I’d be delighted” Gandalf said and followed the group. He seemed very gleeful for just having talked in dark speech.  
“I’m starving already, this elvish food won’t fill you up like the good stuff” Gimli proclaimed, he seemed to have this deep anger and hatred, as if he is trying to convince others and himself of it. he followed the group,  
“should we not discuss the best route to take tomorrow?” Aereth asked, this was something very odd for her.  
“we could do that over a nice breakfast, don’t you think?” Boromir asked, smiling at her before joining the others.  
“There is still plenty of time today for preparations. For now let’s enjoy a good meal” Aragorn said, leaving her surprised by their casual attitude.  
“it would be best to pack for a long and diverse journey. I have a feeling that plans will be very unreliable for this” Legolas told her. She smiled and they joined the rest of the group at a large table, larger than the one she sat at yesterday.  
She sat down beside Legolas at the end of the table, on her right side sat Aragorn and across from her sat Gandalf. Beside him on his left were Merry and, on his right, Frodo. While the others were busy chatting and eating, she tried to remember their names. The elf was Legolas, the dwarf was Gimli, Gandalf, Frodo and after that it became hazy. She knew the names but not to which they belonged.  
“And what is your name, fair lady?” she suddenly heard but wasn’t sure who said it. She looked surprised at the others, there were four looking at her, those on her side of the table.  
“I’m… my name is Aereth, daughter of Alqualaurë,” she answered, looking at each of them. The dwarf grunted displeased, he might’ve thought her to be a human woman, but her name is quite misleading.  
“from which woods do you come? You don’t seem to be from around here” Aragorn asked. She laughed a bit.  
“I’m not an elf, sir, I’m not even land-dwelling for most of the time” she said, confusion was visible on Gimli’s face, while Legolas now seemed to get the full picture and Aragorn and Boromir were just very eager to know what she meant.  
“I’m a mermaid, my group of travelers were too” she said. Boromir’s face had a look of wonder and disgust on, while Aragorn was only wonder.  
“So, you can heal us with your singing?” Gimli asked, those must’ve been myths he’s been told. He didn’t seem to mean it as an attack. His views on mermaids must be brighter than those on elves.  
“I’m afraid I can’t, but I do know how to properly take care of wounds and other health-issues if there would ever be the need” she said with a warm smile.  
“what is mermaid singing even used for?” a question came from across the table, it was merry…or pippin. He seemed actively curious.  
“Well, it is used for celebrations, such as a party, wedding, and funerals. It can be used for communication with other creatures. But it has mood-changing effects, spell casting purposes and can make siren songs, and other dangerous tunes, harmless. It is more there to aid than to hurt. Unlike sirens” She answered. They really haven’t heard much about her race, have they? She returned to eating and chose a piece of what looked like fruit for it. Her hair was still loose and was now touching the ground around her chair. She would need help with it later because she didn’t know how to wear it now on land.  
“is this your first-time above water?” the man to her right asked. He was very well-mannered and very calm in his voice. It was clear that he has spent more time among elves, since he mirrors a lot of their behaviour.  
“no, but it is my first time seeing middle-earth. I’ve heard a lot about the scenic landscapes and the beautiful forests and caves” she said, looking up at the trees. Their leaves were all changing colour and falling slowly, while others were still green.  
“They truly are. Masterpieces crafted by master dwarf smiths, mighty as the mountains they were built beneath and richer than any king could be.” Gimli said, he was very enthusiastic and seemed to take a liking to her interest, as they were very similar to his own.  
It was only when the conversations started flowing in other directions that the other human that sat beside Legolas started talking to her.  
“how come you chose to join the group and not one of the mermen?” he asked, it was clear he would be uncomfortable to fight beside a woman. She smiled at his question.  
“Because I am very well acquainted with the way of weaponry and know a few things about fighting” she said, resting her head in her hand with a smirk.  
From across the tale, song erupted, and all the hobbits were singing a jolly tune and clapping along. Suddenly she sensed someone behind her, it was Secolum, motioning to follow him.  
“Thank you for your lovely company, I will see you later gentlemen” she said and left, humming along with the tune they sang.  
“Aereth, we wanted to give you a departing gift that might come handy during your travels” he said. She glanced back at the company and waved before they left.


	4. Departure from Rivendell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A good adventure starts with a good morning. This is the morning to your adventure. You choose if it is good or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello there!  
I will set all sentences and words Aereth/you understand in parathesis beside the language.
> 
> Also, all the amazing Quenya and Sindarin you see in these texts are translations from an amazing website called "https://realelvish.net"  
please check them out, they're amazing at what they're doing and I could have made this possible without their hard work.
> 
> Anyway, I will continue writing in this style since it makes it a lot easier to write for me.

” good morning, Sam” Aereth greeted the hobbit, Sam. He was petting and spoiling a horse before he took notice to her. It was only the two of them, it seems the others were still preparing everything in bags for the packhorse.  
“good morning, Aereth, sleep well?” he asked, smiling up at the girl. She stopped beside him, in front of the horse.  
“Pretty good, the waterfall outside my window made it easier. Who’s your friend here?” she asked, holding up her hand to the horse to see it. he allowed her to pet him and she did so gladly.  
“This is Bill. The bravest and strongest horse out there” Sam said, stroking Bill’s neck. She smiled, it was more of a pony to her than anything.  
“Oh, there is no doubt about that” she reassured. This might be the only opportunity she would get to see this pony, who knows what will be out there. Then, two more were approaching.  
“did you take the sausages and potatoes?” it was Merry and Pippin, both with bags that smelled of food and other delights. They seemed to be somewhat in a hurry to get away from wherever they came.  
“Every last one of them” Pippin answered, there was pride in their faces and mischief. She was somewhat glad that they came along since they would help make a though journey less straining for everyone. Somewhat about their behaviour reminded her about the very youngest of cadets she would have around and there were all still children in her eyes. Unfortunately, not all make it to adulthood. They spotted her and their faces quickly changed into what could be described as a moment of regained solemnity. She arched an eyebrow with a smirk.  
“I didn’t see anything” she played along. They visibly relaxed and proceeded to store them on the back of the pony. Arguing about the best way to do it and what to eat first.  
“but do keep in mind, he has to be able to carry this for you” she said and stroked the pony’s clean fur. They looked at the pony and at least Merry seemed to be considering bringing something back.  
“That just means we got to eat as soon as possible then” Pippin chirped in. A giggle escaped her lips. They really would make this a very optimistic journey.  
“excuse me, coming through” a voice said, pushing Aereth slightly to the side. It was Boromir, he put the bag on the pony and secured it. But while he did this another one got loose and fell. Yet before it hit the ground Aereth caught it and gave it back to him.  
“thank you” he said and fastened it with the others. After that, he turned to smile at her.  
“you should be more careful” she sounded dismissive, her face showing no amusement over his grimace.  
“any room for one more?” a proud voice could be heard. It was Gimli. Her face immediately warmed up.  
“Sure, here” Boromir said and held out his arm to take it.  
“There is more space on the other side. it will otherwise be too much weight on only one side, Boromir” she continued. They had a short-lived stare-down.  
“I’m sure the elf might bring a heavy enough bag to balance out the entire side” Gimli said, putting the bag on the side where they all stood. And with that, the morning quarrels were mostly over. Gimli proceeded to tell fantastical tales to the young hobbits, Boromir was quietly listening and Aereth was petting the pony while also listening.  
Both Boromir and Aereth wore different clothing than yesterday. He was now in a long, leather coat with a dark blue cloak over it, yet wore the same pants and shirt beneath. In her case, the difference was bigger. She now wore a corset of dark glimmering steel plates sewn together with hardened leather, it was light yet hard to pierce, with a belt to hold her sword placed on her hips, beneath that she wore a hooded, grey tunic that was long enough to reach her knees in the back, on her arms she wore scale mail, made of black iridescent scales and above all of that she had a long, green kimono jacket and she wore a pair of leather knee-high boots, knee-high warm socks, and dark green tights. On her back, she had a quiver with javelins and a spear of silver-white metal that were as lethal as they were beautiful.  
The familiar sense of magic that Legolas was carrying now started to get closer and she could see out of the corner of her eye how he came down the staircase to join the group. He had no longer those white robes from yesterday and instead sported a green tunic.  
“Good morning, Legolas” Boromir said. Legolas greeted him with the same kind of politeness. Gimli shot him a grim look. While the hobbits simply greeted him as well. Sam was now standing by the pony with Aereth, feeding Bill an apple. Legolas approached them from the other side.  
“Tenn’oio nál nildonya (forever you are my dear friend)” Aereth said slowly, Sam tried to repeat it, but it was clear that the language was unfamiliar to him. She chuckled and repeated it word for word once again.  
“What are you doing?” Legolas asked them curiously. Watching over her shoulder.  
“Sam wanted to know how he could let Bill know that they were friends in Quenya” she explained, with a smile still present on her face. She proceeded to scratch Bill behind the ear, he seemed to like it.  
“Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo (a star shines on the hour of our meeting)” Legolas said, she turned to him, a bit surprised. He had an accent that made it clear that even though he could say it, it wasn’t really his stronghold.  
“I did not know you speak the language, as well as Sindarin. Although, I shouldn’t be surprised really” she said excitedly. He smiled.  
“I could say the same about you, really” he answered. At that moment Bill licked Sam’s face and he protested audibly. She turned around to see.  
“I think that means you two are best friends now” Legolas said to him. Sam looked at Bill and then back at the two. Aereth spared him a handkerchief and he took it with a thankful nod.  
“If you lick him back though, it will officially be your pony” Aereth joked. Sam looked back at her with a smile. Sam joined the other group and explained what just happened. She turned back to Legolas, his eyes were smiling and twinkled beautifully in the light of dawn.  
“Feanya linda cenita le (my soul sings to see you)” she greeted him.  
“are you fluent in Quenya?” he asked her. It seems his vocabulary was broader in Sindarin.  
“Mostly, yes. But I do know some simple phrases and words in Sindarin. But not enough to hold any meaningful conversations I’m afraid. And you?” she asked.  
“for me, it’s the opposite. Sindarin is my mother tongue after all” he answered.  
“well, too bad that this will be the only language we share then” she said with a faked sadness. Boromir approached them. They both looked up at him. Behind him were her former group of traveling companions. They seemed to await her. She walked past Boromir to them.  
“mír pyrik leitzh ab sejla ajkil blësset (i’m sorry that I didn’t say goodbye)” Aereth told them, bowing her head slightly. They were still in their colourful robes and cloaks from yesterday. But they weren’t angry with her, they smiled. Minbell came up to her with a beautiful cloth wrapped around something.  
“barniq meidt, pthakke pír fyrër tíma din ogë yfirvegunadt (my child, thank you for your time and consideration)” Minbell said and handed the gift over to her. Boromir was looking at them with Legolas, while Phatanse was eying Boromir.  
“ejkil látya fhônn qumëxtt di ptën (don’t let him get to you)” Phatanse said with a small smirk. she nodded and hugged the two of them. Seculom stepped up to her with a smile.  
“good bye, my lady. maigjylt shjôrenim phorë mijlyhdde (may the sea be gentle)” he said and bowed his head to her. They went up the stairs to leave for their own home. But it was also now that they noticed her hair was still open.  
“for the journey on land I might suggest another hairstyle, my lady” Secolum said from top of the staircase.  
“Iaggeth hâeltduq ab fhônn möndûhe elljsakhal ab hájalpfe (I think he would love to help)” Phatanse said, motioning to Legolas. She glanced around to confirm her suspicion. Then shock her head. They left after that and she could still hear how Phatanse either got hit on the head or hand. She went back to Legolas and Boromir who were now balancing out the luggage on poor Bill’s back.  
“what language was that. I have never heard anything like that” Legolas asked her. She smiled at the floor.  
“that is the language of mermaids. Also often called Mermaid songs.” She answered, feeling pride in her people.  
“it did sound like you were talking about us” Boromir said. He wasn’t completely wrong about that.  
“they were confused whether Legolas was an elf or a merman and wondered if you had any salt with you” she lied a little. It seems to be very common to confuse elves and merfolk since both were tall in stature and had pointed ears. Yet the merfolk had usually four points and had colourations that were more fit to the water than elves. Yet in Aereth’s case, it was harder, due to her being the same colours as an elf from the undying lands and having some elvish blood in her veins wasn’t helping it either.  
“why would I need salt?” Boromir asked, clearly confused. She pondered if she really should tell him or not. But she chose to trust him. For now.  
“salt is often used as a weapon against us. It can give us visions and incapacitate us for a long while. Somewhat how men would be after drinking two barrels of wine, yet not as pleasant as it is involuntarily and can be very painful for fresh-water merfolk” she explained, looking at him thoroughly as to see if he would twitch in a way she would not like.  
“salt can do that to you?” Merry asked, concerned. She nodded with a small smile, not wanting to trouble their minds. They looked at each other with shock and concern.  
“what about pepper?” Pippin asked. She laughed at this, but he got a smack over the head for it.  
“Pepper is harmless” she answered him with a smile. He only meant well after all. Aragorn now came down the stairs, he had clearly something on his mind. It must have to do with his undeniable faith of becoming. But she believed in him, his mind was pure and his heart true. He did not carry the same foulness many men did and he seemed to understand his mortal flaws.  
“good morning, Aragorn” Legolas said. Aragorn stopped in front of us all and smiled.  
“good morning” he said quietly, still tired or grieving? Gandalf came now as well; his presence was very dominant without the ring around, but once it was there, he was like a whisper in the wind. He was already smoking his pipe, he seemed very relaxed.  
“What do you have there, Aereth?” Aragorn asked her softly, she was still holding the present from Minbell. She looked down at it and smiled.  
“let’s find out, shall we?” she said, unwrapping it carefully. The cloth must’ve been out of mermaid hair, for it was so soft and sparkling. Inside it was a bottle, filled with a deep purple liquid. She gasped slightly.  
“what is it, Aereth?” Aragorn asked. Gandalf stepped closer and looked at it. He knew the value a bottle like this had.  
“it is what we call ‘vfatqna gse djypsineh’…’water of the deep’. It has healing properties beyond many measures. One drop can heal the wounds of a gigantic flock of fins” she said enthusiastically. Frodo blinked at her use of mermaid terms.  
“here it is called ‘the white-water flower’ and it is indeed potent enough to heal an entire army with a single drop” Gandalf made clear. The eyes of the others went wide, it truly was an amazing gift to receive.  
“Keep it safe dear Aereth. It is a very rare treasure to have” Gandalf said, she nodded and walked to Bill to store it in between her belongings. Legolas smiled at her and she returned it.  
“a flock of fins” he whispered, as to memorize it for later.  
“a big group of merfolk” she cleared up. He nodded, must’ve guessed it already. Suddenly her hair got stuck on another bag’s buckle. She fumbled with it, not being able to release the knot. Instead, her fine hair got stuck in more buckles and she ended up stuck in 4 different ones. Legolas watched entertained by the show but proceeded to help when it got out of hand.  
“here” he said, helping with one.  
“thanks” she murmured.  
“everything alright?” Gandalf asked, looking over at the unfolding mess.  
“Aereth got stuck with her hair” Legolas explained, not looking away from his work. He got it loose and proceeded with the next. She was still on her first.  
“No wonder when you let your hair fly around like that” Gandalf said jokingly her.  
“you’re the one to talk! Where’s your updo?” she asked, having untangled the second-to-last knot. Looking at the magician with a joking mad look. He chuckled.  
“do you want me to help you with that?” Legolas asked her when they were done untangling her hair. He looked down at her with such a polite and pure smile.  
“yes, please” she said, almost pleading him. He sat her down by the bench. He was standing over her, he was clearly too tall to stand there.  
“I can sit on the ground, so you don’t have to crouch over me” she said looking up at him. He smiled.  
“it’s alright”  
“no” she said and stood up to sit in the floor. He sat down and was visibly in a much more comfortable position.  
“thank you” he said and combed through her hair with his fingers. So soft.  
“do you have any requests?” he asked, going through her unbelievably soft hair with his soft fingers.  
“fitting for the journey?” she said, unsure of what he meant. He had more expertise in this field than her.  
“how about I do a fishtail braid then?” he asked leaning down to see her reaction. She glanced up at him.  
“as long as my hair is not dragging behind me, go for it. Though I doubt it would resemble mine” she said, keeping her head straight. He began at the front of her head, with swift and capable fingers he worked fast.  
“You can tell me if I hurt you” he said while tightly interweaving her hair.  
“no, you won’t hurt me. I have 2 younger brothers who both have their own kids that love to visit. That involves a lot of hair-pulling and braiding” she said. She was very fond of those memories.  
“though, I must say. Your hair pulling is a lot more professional and really harmless to what they are capable of” she said, looking down at her quiver of javelins and his quiver of arrows. They had to put down their weapons, obviously, to do this. But it was this moment that made her realize, she had never held a bow in hand. Legolas chuckled at her comment and proceeded downwards.  
“Thank you. Now, tilt your head a bit forward” he almost sang out the thanks. A shiver went down her spine when she felt his hands down by her neck.  
“Sit a bit further forward”  
“you’re already done with the head?” she asked surprised. He hummed in response. She looked around for a second and listened.  
“We do have plenty of time, Frodo is still in the garden with Elrond and has yet to arrive” she said reassuringly.  
“how far do your senses go? You seem to have keen ones” he asked, halfway through her knee-long hair.  
“well, in the water I can see a lot better than on land. But I can see the salmon that is missing two scales on his left side jumping up that stream and I can hear the butterfly being eaten by a spider in the treetops of that tree” she points first at a stream, way over in the east, barely visible for a human and then points at a tree behind that.  
“I see, then I’m not alone” he says and finishes up her braid. In the end, the length of her hair has been shortened to only being to her lower back.  
“done” he says, looking down at her for her reaction. She carefully feels through it with her fingers.  
“thank you, Legolas, it feels amazing” she says and smiles at him. He stands up and gives her a hand and with a swift pull she’s up.  
“am I officially an elf now?” she asks when face-to-face. He chuckles.  
“maybe” he answers, before leaning down to grab their things. She hands her the quiver and spear.  
“But first you got to master the bow before making such statements” he says, pinning said bow to his back with his quiver.  
Footsteps are heard and Frodo arrives, in the company of Elrond and many other elves. All of them gathering around. We join our fellowship and await his words. When the silence had settled, he spoke.  
“The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will. Farewell. Hold to your purpose. May the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you.” His words were heavy, but they must’ve hit Frodo the hardest. He was the only one obliged to carry his mission through, even if it would be alone. But Aereth was determined that it would never have to come to this.  
“The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer.” Gandalf said. They all waited to follow him, he looked more scared than yesterday. Aereth walked close to Bill and Sam, smiling at them when they looked up at her.  
“your hair looks nice that way” Sam says softly. She smiles and nods in response and mouths ‘thank you’.  
So, this is how it begins for them. Not with song nor trumpets, but with thousands of elves watching them disappear into the forest.


	5. First bloom of the winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple night under the stars. But the night Sam planted a thought into your mind.

The scenery was gorgeous as they walked through it. Dusk was growing closer and the fellowship was getting exhausted. The hobbits were clearly the most exhausted, walking at the very end of the line with hanging heads. Gimli was also showing signs of tiredness yet appeared to want to hide it. Boromir and Aragorn were both able to keep a steady pace but weren’t as attentive as they were in the beginning to their surroundings. Aereth and Gandalf were both keeping a quiet conversation as they were leading the way and Legolas was at the back keeping a watchful eye over the entire group.  
“Gandalf… we should start looking for a good place to rest. Half of the group can barely keep their heads up” Aragorn whispered to them.   
“there is a hill up ahead with steady boulders ideal for keeping watch. It’s not that far” Aereth said looking ahead into the darkening landscape. Aragorn nodded and his pace got slower, presumably to tell the hobbits the news.  
“Surely water would be an excellent motive of transport, especially with you around” Gandalf said, continuing their conversation.   
“No, Gandalf. They told me that since the darkness returned, fresh-water mermaids have become even more vigilant and unfriendly to outsiders, the same for those who live close to the coast. We will stand no chance if they decide to attack” She said, it was embarrassing for her to confess.  
“You speak their tongue, do you not?” he asked her, he knew the answer.  
“yes, but it won’t guarantee that they will listen to me” she said, jumping up on a rock swiftly before reaching out to offer Gandalf her hand.   
“You have a strong will in you and are such a good leader. If there is something I know you can do, it would be this” Gandalf answered as she pulled him up.  
“thank you, Gandalf” she said as he now stood beside her. He nodded to her and turned to keep an eye out while she helped the others.  
“thank you” Aragorn said as she assisted him. Legolas saw what she was doing and looked at her. When they made eye contact, he held the lead for Bill.   
“You help them up, we’ll take a quick detour” he said, she nodded. Then Legolas and Bill disappeared behind the rocks. She pulled Frodo up, but he slipped an let out a small yelp. She held him with both hands now and made sure he didn’t fall.  
“it’s okay, I got you Frodo” she said with a reassuring smile. She lifted him up carefully and sat him down beside her, they were basically hugging now. She let go and looked at him once again, he was okay. Sam was the last to go and it was also now that her footing was starting to get weak as the soil beneath her feet was coming loose. But before the would fall, a strong arm grabbed her waist and pulled them back up. When everything had calmed down, she turned around to her saviour. It was Gimli. She smiled brightly.  
“thank you, Gimli” she said and gave him a hug. She didn’t expect it to be him but was glad it was.   
“it is not much further, just over this hill” Gandalf said, and the group continued. Aereth stayed and looked back to where the other two might have gone. Aragorn looked back at her. She turned to him.  
“you go, I’ll go make sure the other two find us” she said, he nodded.  
“just don’t get lost with them” he answered. She chuckled before jumping down and running after the path the other two took. It was getting dark now and it would be bad to lose both the food and Legolas. She followed their tracks and could feel his presence getting closer. but she felt also something different, a siren. Aereth quickened her tempo and prayed to find them before it did. There he was, Bill was drinking from the water and Legolas was watching him. She could hear the wings of the siren as it flew almost soundless through the air. He must’ve noticed it as well because he took out his bow and an arrow. She approached them quietly, his bow trained on the treetops. So when she rustled in the bushes it quickly went to her. His eyes looked at her so mercilessly, she wasn’t even sure if she recognized him at that moment.  
“it is above us. Avo nago nin (don’t kill me)” she whispered to him as she approached him, the last rays of the setting sun now falling on her. He relaxed somewhat and aimed back upwards. She walked close to his side and took the lead from the ground.  
“Why are you here?” he whispered.  
“what took you so long?” she asked.  
“Bill refused to keep moving without drinking first” he answered. She looked down in the water and then at Bill, he was still drinking profusely. She kneeled beside him and held her finger in the water. There were mermaids here, she could feel their heartbeat.   
“We need to go” she said. Standing back up and gripping her sword. Bill was now finished with drinking and was ready to leave now too. They couldn’t really run with a tired horse, so they would have to walk.  
“what did you see?” he asked, looking at her.  
“there is a siren somewhere above us and in the water a flock of mermaids” she whispered right beside his ear as to minimize the risk that others might hear. She took her spear in hand and was ready to leave.   
“can’t you talk with them?” he asked her, she looked into the water. There was one, looking at them.   
“not with the siren around, it’s too risky. Let’s go” she said and took a step away from the water. He nodded and followed her closely.  
“phveêr arltü? (who are you?)” a soft voice came from the water. She stopped dead in her way and glanced back, it was a young mermaid, a child.   
“farqu dtil bakqua, dcaq aern higttxulegjt (go back, it’s dangerous)” Aereth answered, she was concerned for the young child and saw her little niece’s innocents in her eyes. But before anyone could react, the siren lounged for the child.   
“Pashaqu-! (watch o-!)” Aereth yelled. Legolas immediately shot his arrow at the siren. But it had already grabbed the girl. They were both on the ground and Aereth pulled the girl from the siren’s dead body and pulled her back to the water.   
“are you alright?” Legolas asked her, the girl breathed shallowly. The siren had left a deep wound at her shoulder, but it was not lethal. But she nodded as a response.   
Soon another mermaid came up. But instead of worrying over the wounded girl, she tried to attack Aereth. But Aereth moved away before she could do so. Legolas trained another arrow on them. Aereth saw it.  
“don’t shoot them, she’s just scared. They aren’t evil” Aereth said, walking up to him and putting her hand on his arm. He lowered his weapon. She looked back at the fresh-water mermaids.  
“vique rlaiyndemn aq phôrnada phâna(we tried to protect her)” Aereth told the grown mermaid. She looked at them and hissed before giving the wounded girl a check-up and pulling her with her into the deep. But the child held onto her Aereth’s gloves and smiled at her. Aereth held his hand, looking into the water and then back at the siren.   
“are you alright?” he asked her. His eyes scanning her for injuries.  
“sirens usually aren’t solitary. We should move quickly” she said. They left swiftly. A few minutes later they had already a clear view of the rest of the fellowship. Aereth scanned the sky for any signs of them. They were still holding hands.  
“What did she want from you?” Legolas asked.   
“she was curious to who we were” Aereth answered with a smile.  
“she looked young”   
“she was very young, around 20 or 15 years maybe” she answered, he nodded.   
“how old can a mermaid become?” he sounded fascinated now.  
“there’s no limit. Were immortal” she answered with a smile, looking ahead at the road.  
“and how old are you then?” he asked her. She looked up at him with a smirk and then at the upcoming group.  
“I’m pretty sure I am old enough to be called ancient at this point” she joked and looked back up at Legolas.  
“and you?” she asked.  
“well, in 69 years I will be 3000 years old” he said. She huffed, they weren’t that far apart in age.   
“Do you feel like it will be another threshold in life?” she asked, looking down at her feet. His hand was warm.  
“After a certain point, I don’t think it matters really” he said. She hummed in agreeance.  
“But I must say, it is nice to see the change of the world around me. There are things that you only notice if you stay for long enough, the mountains have actually grown smaller” she said, looking up at the mountains that were still a 2-day-walk away. He looked at her and wondered.  
“Do you want to stay in middle-earth?” she looked at him. His question did hit something in her, wanderlust.  
“From what I have seen so far it is very pretty. Maybe. Will, you then show me where you live?” she asked him.   
“of course,” he said. She smiled.  
“ah, there you are, what were you doing? It was ages ago that we saw you guys” Sam asked. They had already started a fire. They noticed that the two were holding hands and assumptions were made.  
“Bill was thirsty, so they had stopped at a small stream” Aereth said, letting go of Legolas hand and petting Bill.   
“What was that scream we heard then?” Aragorn asked. Coming back from having collected more firewood.   
“A siren” Legolas said. They were all surprised by that explanation.  
“only on?” Gandalf asked. He was smoking his pipe once again.  
“We should keep our watch on the sky as well and stay away from water. That is where they are the most dangerous” Aereth said.  
“A waxing crescent…they are yet very strong” Gandalf said, looking up at the moon. Aereth agreed.  
“The moon gives us strength. The darkness them” Aereth said, standing besides Gandalf.   
“Well isn’t that nice” Boromir murmurs. A sizzling noise erupted from the fire. The hobbits were preparing dinner and talking about all the possibilities there were. Potatoes with beef. Boromir was now sharpening his sword. The piece was back again. Aragorn and Frodo were talking on the other stone in front of the fire. Gimli was already back on arguing with Legolas and Gandalf was resting his mind, smoking.   
“Tell me, Aereth. What is it that has you so worried?” Gandalf asked her. She looked away from the sky.  
“there was this young mermaid. A child still. She was wounded by the siren” she said, looking back to where it was.  
“why does that way so heavy on you?” he asked, looking into the fire.   
“she reminded me of my little niece. The sweetest little girl with a very strong grip” she said. Feeling how she missed her more with every second.  
“I see, is she the one that took your gloves too?” he asked.  
“I don’t mind. It was just fabric” she answered, looking over her hands. A storm was coming, she could smell the water.  
“We should probably set up a tent. It will rain soon” she said, looking up at the sky. He hummed in agreeance and she went to get a big sheet of mermaid silk.   
“what’re you doing there?” Sam asked, standing by Bill’s side to get another plate.   
“It will rain soon and we can’t eat in the pouring rain” she answered. She took the sheet and placed it beside Gandalf and proceeded to put four javelins in the ground around the camp. She had a few curious onlookers. She then fastened the sheet to form a big space for shelter from the rain. Then she proceeded to make beds for everyone under it. Making it almost appear like a fluffy nest of sorts. When she was done, they looked at her a bit confused. But then, as if on command, the rain started falling.   
“very good timing there, Aereth” Gandalf said and sat down one of the logs she had put there. The others joined them quickly.   
“This looks cozy. Did you build this?” Sam asked, sitting down next to her. She smiled and nodded. All of them were there, except Frodo. He was still in the rain, looking at the mountains.   
“Gandalf, I think you should talk with him” Aereth said, Gandalf agreed and sat down next to him. He sat down beside him and laid an arm around his shoulder.  
“What is the roof made of? It’s so soft” Boromir said as he was rubbing it between his fingers.   
“Mermaid’s silk” she answered. He looked at her and then back up at the fabric.  
“it’s so thin” he said. she smiled.  
“all merfolk is water repellent by nature. Even such insignificant thing as a single hair” she said, looking at him with a warmer look in her eyes. His eyes grew in realization.  
“that is also what the flag of Edhellond is made of” she whispered. Not being able to forget what happened there. Now two drenched men came from out of the rain.  
“Any room for two more?” Gandalf asked with a smile. They were both dripping wet. She looked at them with disapproving looks the whole time they moved to sit down. They saw it.  
“you know what you’re doing, and I can’t have a sick hobbit and magician on this journey” she said with crossed arms.  
“don’t worry too much, Aereth. A little rain won’t do the trick” Gandalf said. Frodo, on the other-hand, was shaking. She raised an eyebrow at his statement. Gandalf lifted his staff and dropped it. Suddenly, both were dry again. Yet Frodo was still shaking. She got a blanket and wrapped him in it, it seemed to help since colour started returning to his lips and face. She smiled at him and sat down beside Sam once again.   
“you would make a great mother, you know” Sam said to her.  
“I would need to find the perfect partner first though” she said, resting her head on her knees. Looking over the talking men in front of her.   
“true” he said, his voice changed a bit and he smiled at the ground. She noticed this and tried to read what it meant. When that failed, she proceeded to mindreading, the laughter of a woman, ‘Rosie’.  
“Is there someone that has stolen your heart Sam?” she asked quietly, her smile wide. It was so sweet. He blushed.  
“yes” he said quietly.  
“what’s her name?” she asked, genuinely interested. He seemed to understand it so he chose to answer truthfully.  
“Rosie” his smile grew wider with every letter that he uttered to that beautiful name.  
“What’s she like?”  
“the most wonderful woman with the sweetest laugh” he answered.  
“Does she know that you like her?” he did not answer. But his silence gave her the answer she needed.  
“do you know if she likes you back?” he shrugged a bit.  
“Can I give you some advice?” she asked  
“sure”  
“Spend time with her when you go back to your home. The traditional way is the only way” she said with a smile. That didn’t seem to be something new to him.  
“Is there someone you fancy?” he asked.   
“you might be surprised to know that there isn’t anyone” she said. They were talking very quietly and the booming voices of Merry, Pippin, and Gimli were enough to shadow them.  
“Are you sure?” he asked with a smile.  
“why? Is there something I should know, Sam?” she asked. He looked across from them and she followed his gaze, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas sat across. Legolas looked over at them and then back at the others. Sam and Aereth then shared a look. He arched his eyebrows.  
“I think you’re reading into this” she said.  
“well, you never know” he said and snuggled into a blanket.  
“don’t give me stupid ideas, Sam. Not now” she said with a chuckle.   
“I think it’s too late for that. Now you get the chance to prove if your advice works” he said and went to join the other hobbits. Leaving her alone with thoughts and his words. She looked up at Legolas again, he was very pretty in this light.   
“Are you alright, Aereth?” he asked, snapping her out of thoughts. she blinked.  
“Yeah… I was just wondering if I should take the first-night watch” she said, looking down from him.   
“Tonight is unfortunately already booked up, Aereth” Aragorn said. She nodded.  
“You can do the second watch tomorrow or first watch the day after that” Boromir suggested.   
“sure” she said.  
“Which one?” He asked.   
“both” she said, and her smile came back. He looked at Aragorn for objection, but he was alright with it.   
“As long as we don’t die it should be alright” Aragorn said.  
“You don’t think I can do it?” She challenged. He smiled.   
“I believe you, it’s him you got to convince” Aragorn said and pointed at Boromir.   
“Don’t blame me for this. I didn’t say anything” he said. She chuckled. Legolas sat quietly watching in the night.  
“is there something?” she asked. He turned to her.   
“No, it’s just getting late” he said to her.  
“You’re right, Legolas. Enough fun for tonight, guys. We got to get up early tomorrow” Aragorn announced. Now everyone was getting ready to sleep. A few minutes later everyone was in a bed, except for Aereth. She had yet to find her bed.  
“Is something the matter, Aereth?” Sam asked. She looked at him as he laid among the other hobbits, all like fluffy worms. She looked at her hands, twirling her fingers.  
“I can’t find my bed” she answered. Giggling could be heard from Merry and Pippin’s direction. They had hidden it.  
“Where is it? Merry? Pippin?” they looked at her innocently, but she knew it was them. A huge bubble of water started collecting above them and they looked at her with panic.  
“It’s in the log!” Merry panicked. There they checked. Nothing.  
“but it was there! I swear!” Pippin said. They both pleaded for their lives. She gave in and spared them from water.  
“Take my bed, I’m on first watch” Aragorn said as he sat on the log, watching the surrounding.   
“thank you” she said and laid down beside Legolas and Merry.   
“I swear we hid it in the log” he whispered to her. She smiled.  
“Goodnight, Merry” Gandalf said sternly. She turned to her right and there Legolas met her eyes.   
“goodnight, Legolas” she mouthed, he smiled.  
“goodnight, Aereth” he mouthed back. She closed her eyes and fell asleep. He watched her for a second before turning around and sleeping.   
The rain was slowly coming to an end outside and it all went silent once again. Aragorn kept a watchful eye. When everyone was asleep, he started humming a melody, thinking about his beloved Arwen. He got interrupted by a mean fart from the direction of Gimli and the Hobbits. No surprise there, they ate like fully grown men.   
After a while the sounds of the nature around them quieted down as well and Aragorn sat there alone in the middle of the night. Barely awake.   
When a humming came from behind him, it was faint yet beautiful. He turned around to look, it was Aereth, seemingly humming in her sleep. He turned back, relaxing as he listened to her sleep-singing. It went on and off for an hour and a half before she stopped. He smiled, it was somehow cute to know that instead of sleep-talking she would sing. Unlike the nights before he felt a lot calmer and collected now than he had before.  
The moon was slowly going down and it was time for the second-night watch. Aragorn shook him awake and Legolas blinked at him. Standing up and bidding him goodnight. Legolas did a quick scout around the camp to make sure everything was still there, the fire, the bags, and Bill. When that was done, he stretched before sitting down with his quiver and bow and watching the night go by. Now many started twitching in their sleep, mainly Frodo and Aereth. He could sense the ring too, but it seems to have an effect on them, with Frodo it was understandable, but Aereth was maybe more sensible when it came to such powers. She herself seemed to possess some powers from the undying lands and that could be something the ring could grab onto.   
Merry sat up looking at Legolas as if he was a ghost.   
“What time is it?” he asked the elf. Legolas looked at the moon and then back at the hobbit.  
“should be around 2 now, sleep now little one” Legolas said and Merry fell back down and slept fast. Aereth humming came back once again, it seemed to sooth Frodo. He stopped tossing and turning and laid quiet, taking more relaxed breaths. He listened to her soft humming, it sounded familiar. Like a tune from his childhood. Then she stopped and the night was quiet once again. She started crying, silent tears for her little nightmare. It did not take long before she woke up, her pillow wet with tears. She sat up quietly and the last tears pearled away from her eyes. She could not sleep now, not anymore. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She looked even more ethereal in moonlight, her hair and skin shone and glimmered in it and her eyes sparkled like stars. She stood up and walked over.  
“bad dream?” Legolas asked her as she sat down beside him.  
“I think it has more to do with the ring” she said, glancing over at Frodo.   
“seen any falling stars yet?” she asked smirking.   
“not yet” he answered, looking over the moonlit landscape. It was quiet, only the water flowing in the distance. In the same river, she saw those mermaids.  
“it was surprising to me to see them be so wary about one of their own” Legolas said.  
“I don’t think they knew I was one of them, it is rather uncommon for fish to walk on legs” she said. He nodded.  
“I mean… it would probably be the same for you too. Don’t you think?” she asked.  
“if I saw an elf with fins? Probably, yes”, he said with a smile. She looked at him. The words of Sam going through her mind one more time. But it did not matter if she was to like him.  
“But you did speak their native tongue fluently. Did you not?” he countered.   
“well, I have a different dialect than them. They must’ve probably thought I was from an entirely different ocean” she explained. He listened closely. Her culture was actually very interesting.   
“do you mind telling me about your culture?” he asked.   
“sure… it involves a lot of singing and many big events in once life are based around the different kinds of musical performance ways. For example, the betrothal ceremony is a duet between the couple, at a funeral, it is a solo of the closest one and the day of birth is the day when the entire extended family sings for you.” She told him about a few of her favourite dishes, landscapes beneath the sea and about the undying lands.   
“I wish you could see them with me”  
“maybe one day I’ll come. But in the mean-time, you should visit me in Mirkwood”  
In the end, the rings power had lost its grip on her dreams and she felt tired once again. She slowly leaned towards Legolas but stopped herself before hitting his shoulder. He saw it and put his arm around her and pulled her back to lean on his shoulder.  
“Is there water there?” she asked barely keeping her eyes open.  
“yes” he answered.  
“then I’ll be there” she answered with a smile before falling asleep on his shoulder. The moon was now almost at the horizon again and the first rays of the sun came up. She had barely missed the most beautiful sunrise of this year. The sounds started returning slowly and nature awoke once more.   
“good morning, Aereth”


	6. the desicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the fellowship stops for breakfast. But the spies of Saruman are there to interrupt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is shorter because I forgot about it and wrote the continuation in a new chapter.

It was the morning after Aereth had been awake both nights to keep watch. She didn’t feel awful, yet she wasn’t in top condition. She was walking amongst the hobbits since she couldn’t look Legolas in the eye anymore after having had a dream about him and having Boromir hear her sleep-talking about it, he had to promise her not to mention it to anybody. So, now she stayed in the company of Gimli and Sam. Both seemed very sociable and happy to talk to her.  
“We’ll stop here for a short rest,” Gandalf said from the front.  
“For how long have you planned to keep us on or feet Gandalf?!” Gimli exclaimed and walked towards an ideal resting spot. Gandalf sat close to him on another stone and told him his route. The mountains behind them. Sam was preparing another meal.   
“Want to continue on your sword skills?” Boromir asked Merry and Pippin. They had started yesterday and were fast-learners from what she heard and saw. Frodo was watching the beginning of the lesson, he could participate if he chose. Legolas was keeping watch while the others rested. Aereth sat on a rock, polishing and sharpening the blade of her weapons to perfection. One had blunted a bit after hitting a rock when she missed a shot.   
There were now two conversations taking place, one on her left with the practicing group and another with Gimli and Gandalf about where we should go. But there was a sound coming from behind her that was unusual. She turned to look what it was, a flock of flying creatures was closing in. Legolas noticed them too as he was standing right next to her. Sam looked up from not hearing her sharpening her blade anymore and saw what they saw.  
“What is that?” he asked nervously.  
“nothing… it’s just a wisp of cloud” Gimli dismissed it. Aereth sharpened her sight a little and saw what she didn’t hope to see.  
“It’s moving fast… against the wind” Boromir said, worried for what it was.  
“Crebain from Dunland!” Legolas shouted. But they weren’t alone. With them were three siren men.  
“Hide!” Aragon cried urgently and grabbed everything near to him to conceal with him.  
“Merry…Pippin…Sam… take cover!” Boromir ordered. The entire Fellowship rushes to find what little cover there was. Suddenly the giant flock is above them and a siren lands on a boulder in sight of the entire fellowship. He sniffs the air, Aereth holds her breath. He lets out a roar before flying off with the flock, leaving the fellowship to come out of hiding.   
“Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched” Gandalf states as he is barely on his feet again. He gestures towards a high mountain pass behind them.  
“We must take the pass of Caradhras!” he continued. The group slowly gathered everything again before moving.   
“Are you alright? You’re shaking like a leaf”


	7. The Mines of Moria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fellowship decided to take the path through the mines. It is also here that a first confession takes place.

The greenery faded with the height and the land began to be covered in white. The cool air would make anyone shudder, yet for a mermaid, it was nothing to bother. They were born in the cold and were able to stand it better than any other race. Gifted with the ability to walk on water, she was also able to walk on the snow. But this came with its own downs-sides, such as that she could slip on it and thereby had to use her spear as a cane to plunge into the snow to not slip and fall all the way down.  
“Gimli, would you mind if I held onto you for a while?” she asked, being terrified by the thought of slipping.  
“so, looking isn’t enough for you then?” he joked. She chuckled. He would grow even shorter with the increasing masses of snow. She on to him while making her way up the mountain.  
“You know it’s just like with certain metals: you got to feel it to know if it is real” she said, looking down at him with a smile. He approved of her words with a smile back.  
“why do you need to hold on to him though?” Merry asked. He was walking in front of them and now spoke with her over his shoulder.  
“For me, it is like walking up a hill of ice, I’m slipping” she answered.  
“wouldn’t it help if someone weighed you down then?” Pippin asked. She was hesitant to answer with logic.  
“if you want a free ride, I’m sure the orcs would love to give you one once they catch up” Gandalf said from the front of the line. It quieted their chat right down. But then a sharp shout could be heard from Frodo as he had just slipped and fallen down the mountain. But when he hit the earth, the harsh whispers from the ring returned. Leaving Aereth to cover her ears. He had dropped it and of course, Boromir would be the one to find it. Staring at it in awe. The tension was thick as Aragorn and Boromir both whispered unintelligible things. He was hesitant in the returning the ring, Aereth’s grip on her spear and on Gimli’s shoulder both got tighter as she was getting ready to kill him.

The journey continued, the tension still lingering in the air. But as time went on it got colder and colder. The majority of the company started freezing more and it wouldn’t get better from here on out. Legolas walked next to Aereth, humming to himself. On her other side in the snow was Pippin, clearly freezing. She kneeled by him and gave him her jacket.  
“Here, Pippin put this on” she said, he looked at her confused. But then he took her jacket with a "thank you" and put it on, it seemed to help him a bit. But he would still lose heat through his feet if he wouldn’t put on shoes soon.  
“what about you then?” Legolas asked her from the other side. She gave him a reassuring smile.  
“Unlike you or him is this what I’m used to at home” she answered. He looked down at her hands, they were a normal colour, while his were red.  
“what about you, Legolas, are you cold?” she asked. She brushed with her fingers against the back of his hand, he was. He looked back up at her.  
“I’m fine” he said, looking back down at her hand for a moment. Taking it in his, before meeting her eyes again. Nobody noticed it through the storm and cold that was trying to make its way into their core. While the others struggled to get through the snow, they walked on it unfaced.  
“Cuiva nwalca Carnirasse; nai yarvaxea rasselya! (Wake up cruel Redhorn! May your horn be bloodstained!)” a voice was heard chanting through the howling wind. Legolas let go of her hand to step closer to the source.  
“there is a fell voice in the air” he sounded more urgent than she was used to.  
“It’s Saruman!” Gandalf called out. Rocks and shale start to fall from above as the thunder gets closer.  
“he’s trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf! We must turn back!” Aragorn shouted over the wind, he sounded as urgent and desperate as Legolas.  
“No!” Gandalf climbs out of the path he has just built and raises his staff into the sky.  
“Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho i ruith.” he yelled. But it didn’t seem to calm the mountain. Instead the voice of Saruman got louder, and the storm got more intense. Until lighting hit the top of the mountain and an avalanche came down. But Aereth reacted fast.  
“Earenen az eleninen, mecin á varyan me, Ainur! (by the seas and the stars, please protect us, holy ones!)” Aereth shouted and it seemed to have an effect. The storm was calming down. The stones and a big part of the snow were now flying past the path, but there was still enough to cover the fellowships tallest members up to the neck. Panicked digging begun as the hobbits, Gimli and Aereth were all still covered by the sheet. They were soon found, breathing and well.  
“That was a valiant effort, Aereth, thank you” Gandalf said to the exhausted mermaid. It did work partially.  
“We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city!” Boromir shouted.  
“The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard.” Aragorn said.  
“We cannot pass over a mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the Mines of Moria.” Gimli suggested. Gandalf did not seem to want to make that decision by the concerned look on his face.  
“Let the Ring-bearer decide.” Gandalf finally utters. The decision must’ve weighed heavy on Frodo, but he made up his mind.  
“We’ll go through the mines” Frodo decided. They began their new route by getting out of the snow. Legolas swiftly hopped out and offered Aereth a hand. She took it and with a pull from him she was up. They then proceeded to help the others.  
“Are you alright?” Aragorn asked her, putting an arm around her. She nodded.  
“I’m just not used to using magic anymore” she murmured softly. He nodded and helped Sam up.  
A few days later and Frodo was now walking beside her. It was warmer and the snow was long gone as they were only minutes away from their destination. She looked down at him and was met by two very unsure blue eyes.  
“how are you?” she asked friendly.  
“good” he answered softly.  
“did you sleep well tonight?” she asked. He looked up at her confused. She just gave him a smile.  
“Listen, I know we might not know each other well. But I can feel the powers of the ring growing stronger and I hate to see you suffer from it, so I took away your nightmares by taking away your dreams for the night. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked for permission” she said softly, feeling regretful. He looked up at her surprised by this.  
“it was nice to sleep peacefully for once since the start of the journey, thank you” he said with a small smile, he meant it.  
“Frodo, come and help an old man.” Gandalf shouted, calling him to him. She was left to walk alone amongst the others. She looked up at them, they were discussing something. Gimli walked past her in a very enthusiastic pace. She looked back to see Legolas closing into her.  
“Are you excited to see the mines?” she asked him.  
“This place is an old reminder of past times. I am more worried about what creatures we might find inside than I would be excited.” He answered, she nodded.  
“can’t be that much worse than a dwarf then” she whispered. He smiled.  
“that is another way to put it, yes” he looked down at her. Even though they had been out in the world for over two weeks, she was still as clean and beautiful as the day they met.  
” The Walls of Moria!” Gimli announced loudly from the front of the line. In front of them was a looming cliff cut into a sheer formation. The path there was treacherous, for the stones were green and greasy from the lack of usage. There was clinking heard from both Gimli and Gandalf as they searched along the walls for the entrance.  
“Dwarf doors are invisible when closed.” Gimli explained, listening closely.  
“Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten.” Gandalf adds.  
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Legolas says. Gimli coughs in disgust at his comment. Aereth smiles at the ground, hiding her amusement from their interactions. Gandalf approaches what looks like a smooth rock wall in between two twisted trees. Slowly slender veins of silver appear in the stone.  
“Isildin ... it mirrors only starlight and moonlight.” Gandalf says. The moonlight shines upon it and the small veins grow into broader and clearer outlines of an arch of interlacing ancient letter and symbols. The lake behind them stretches out broadly, silver black and unending. Aereth kneels and puts her hand in the water, she feels a deep, peaceful heartbeat. She smiles, the creatures of this lake must be asleep.  
“It reads, ‘The door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.’” Gandalf continues.  
“What do you suppose that means?” Merry asks, looking up at the unintelligible symbols.  
“It’s simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open. “Gandalf says with confidence. Turning back to the doors and raises his arms.  
“Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen!” he demands. The doors stay undaunted by his attempt. The night is cold, and a chilly wind blows through the darkness. Gandalf raises his arms once again.  
“Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen.” he continues, but with no luck. Legolas sits down next to Aereth.  
“Something colossal is inhabiting these waters, I can feel its heartbeat” she said to him taking her hand out of the water and looking up at him.  
“then it should be best not to anger it” he answered. She nodded. He took her hand and dried it off before holding it.  
“it would be a shame if this one would get lost” he said with a smile, squeezing her hand slightly. She smiled back at him. She would not mind falling for him after all.  
“Ando Eldarinwa ... a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa... (Gate of Elves ... listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves...)” Gandalf mumbled, clearly fed up at this point. Sam and Aragorn are busily unpacking and unsaddling Bill, for he can’t go any further with them. They say their goodbyes and Sam watches him disappear into the darkness. Sam walks over to sit with Aereth, leaning damply on her shoulder.  
“don’t worry, Sam. He will be the first one to greet us when we get back to Rivendell, I promise” she said, stroking his hair in a comforting manner. He closes his eyes, taking in her comfort, hoping her words to be true. Aereth looks up, seeing Aragorn and Legolas talk about what she told him. Aragorn looks over to her, she looks back at the water, keeping one hand on her sword and the other around Sam. Aragorn walks over to her and crouches beside her.  
“do you know if it is still asleep,” he asks, keeping his eyes on the water. She leans forward. Putting a finger in the water.  
“not sleeping, yet not fully awake. It must be awoken and now returning to sleep. We should not disturb it any further than necessary” she said, seeking his eye contact. He looks at her and nods at her words.  
“understood,” he said and stood back up. A loud splash could be heard, it was Boromir tossing stones into the water. Aereth grabs Sam tightly and readies herself to fight. Sam notices her additional force and looks up at her concerned.  
“Let’s go sit with the other” she whispers, standing up and keeping a watchful eye on the water as she escorts Sam away from it. But before Boromir can throw another stone, Aragorn stops him. He and Aereth both watch the ripples grow.  
“do not disturb the water” Aragorn says ominously. Aereth positions herself next to him, both ready to draw their swords.  
“Whatever happens, I will be the only one to enter the water” she whispers, he agreed silently. Suddenly the door behind them opened. The darkness inside is deeper than every night. As they start to enter, Aereth hears something stir in the water. The fellowship warily walk into the darkness of Moria.  
“Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves; roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin ... And they call this a mine. (snorting) A mine!” Gimli says proudly. The glow from Gandalf’s staff lights up the chamber revealing skeletons of dwarves strewn around in rusting armour, pierced by arrows and axes. The fellowship recoils in horror at what they see.  
“This is no mine ... It's a tomb!” Boromir mutters grimly.  
“Oh ... no ... no ... no...!” Gimli screams in disbelief and horror. Legolas pulls a crude arrow out of a skeleton.  
“Goblins” he identifies. The fellowship draw their swords and back away towards the entrance. But Aereth is hesitant, this looks to be from ages ago. No one could survive in mines without food for so long.  
“We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here.” Boromir says regretfully.  
“But the bodies are old, and the entrance closed. Nothing could survive in dark isolation for so long” Aereth protested, keeping her ground.  
“Aereth, trust me. These creatures would eat anything to survive, even each other” Aragorn said, leading her out with them. Suddenly Frodo falls and gets pulled into the lake by a long serpentine tentacle. He cries out in panic as Aragorn and Boromir rush after him and sever the limb. Aragorn pulls him to safety as Boromir hacks at the other writhing limbs. Aereth takes of her bag and hands it to Sam. 20 more tentacles rise out of the lake as the water starts to boil. The beast is now fully enraged and lashes out at the fellowship. Again, Frodo is grabbed by the creature, along with Merry and Pippin. Sam would’ve been amongst them if Aereth wouldn't have been there.  
Once again Aragorn and Boromir head back out into the water to rescue Frodo and the others from the gaping mouth of the beast. When Aereth was done slicing away the tentacles from Sam she looked out to see the chaos unfold.  
“stay with Gandalf,” she said and ran out into the water. While Aragorn and Boromir were helping Frodo, the other two dangled near death. Frodo is released after the tentacles are hacked off and falls into Boromir’s arms.  
“Get out of the water!” Aereth shouts at them as she charges at the other limbs. Because she could run on the water she could swiftly move between the tentacles and cut through them like butter. Boromir moves as fast as he can while Aragorn is trying to help her by catching the newly freed Merry.  
“Legolas!” Aragorn yells and the elf shoots cunning arrows into the creature’s head. Giving Aragorn enough time to escape. He then shoots another arrow, only mere millimeters from Aereth’s head, at a tentacle that was close to getting her as well.  
“Into the mines!” Gandalf orders and Aereth obeys with Pippin holding on to her as his life depended on it. Legolas was keeping her back safe as they all took cover inside. The creature then proceeded to rip the doors away with its coiling arms, creating a rockslide that successfully seals the entrance shut. Now plunged into the darkness they have no other choice than to continue on forward. A faint light rises from Gandalf’s staff.  
“Now we have but one choice ... we must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard ... there are older and fouler things than the Orcs in the deep places of the world.” He spoke in an ominous tone. They followed the old wizard as he led the way.  
“Are you alright?” Legolas asked Aereth, she nodded and smiled up at him.  
“Yeah, thanks for the arrows” she answered. He returned the smile.  
“It will always be my pleasure” he answered. She looked down at the ground while walking next to him. They came to a bridge, across a deep mining shaft.  
“Quietly, now. It’s a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed.” Gandalf warned cautiously. Looking ahead at the abyss was enough to make even the most brave-hearted unsure.  
“Gandalf, do you know what the creature was called?” Aereth asks him, walking in the front with him.  
“that was the watcher, a mysterious creature, little is known about it” he answers her.  
“do you think it belonged to the dark lord? The way it was always reaching for Frodo” she continues. He became a bit uneasy.  
“Not necessarily, it might’ve just felt threatened by its powers. Just like us” Gandalf answered, she nodded.  
“I hope you speak the truth” she answered. Not wanting to have to face more of the dark lord’s army than necessary. He agreed, looking into the darkness in front of them and imagining what lies sleeping there too. She looked around, the smell of wet stone and earth lingered in the air, it was damp and hollow. But she could see past it and saw beautiful caves of masterful craft. She walked next to Gimli, he seemed hurt by what he had seen.  
“in a past life, this must’ve been a beautiful place of hard work and craftmanship,” she said to him. He smiled, taking in her words.  
“oh, it was. There is no place like it, rich and rare.” He states proudly. She was happy to see him in a better mood.  
“You will have to visit me in a true city of dwarves. The smell of hard work and molten metal is almost as good as our hospitality” he said with a warm tone. She chuckled.  
“then I would love to visit” she answered, happy to see him in a better mood. It was fun for her to learn about their different cultures, she only knew her own and the one of the elves of the undying lands.  
The fellowship entered another chamber, filled with ancient ladders and old ropes. Here the walls were glimmering like the stars and along the walls were entire veins of these glimmering white metals. Gandalf goes along it with one hand.  
“The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels but mithril.” He says and points down into the expansive drop beside them with his staff. The endless depths of the mine. A faint, blue glow issues from its depths. It looks all but abandoned. They continue onward. But a gut feeling tells her that the light was from no ally. She grips the end of her tunic as she now walks along the wall.  
“Bilbo had a shirt of mithril rings that Thorin gave him.” Gandalf recalls.  
“Oh, that was a kingly gift.” Gimli says astounded.  
“Yes. I never told him, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire.” Gandalf adds. Frodo’s eyes go wide.  
“But I thought Mithril was bountiful” Aereth whispered softly to Gandalf.  
“Yes, but only in Moria and here it is rare to find larger zones.” He explained to her in the same hushed tone. She nodded and tried to remember that.  
“tell me, Aereth, what is there that you know about middle-earth?” Gandalf asked her.  
“I know that the exiled Noldor live here, namely Galadriel and her husband Celeborn, that the forests have guardian ents, I know of the beauty this land would have to offer and of the battle of sea-blood, Edhellond and a few more” she answered, she said the last thing when she was passed by Boromir, he didn’t hear it. But Gandalf understood what she was feeling.  
“It must be a painful memory” he answered.  
“I lost my two sisters that night. How could I forget?” she said, a tear welling up at the memory. He laid an arm around her.  
“I know it is hard to let go of the past, my dear. But I want you to understand that these men are both on your side. They will fight with you, protect you and support you. That is what we will all do for each other. This is for the future of all our people” he said, cheering her up a little.  
“thank you, Gandalf” she said, wiping away a tear. He smiled at her before getting back to lead again.  
They continued up steep stairs, passing through the dwarf cemetery. The atmosphere is very sinister as they enter. The graves were despoiled, the skeletons are strewn about and scrawled upon the walls in goblin graffiti was the dried blood of dwarves. The fellowship kept their heads low, no one uttered a word.  
They soon came to a tunnel fork with three passageways. Each equally as dark as the next. Gandalf pauses their journey, frowning.  
“I have no memory of this place.” He confesses. They all looked at him with wide eyes and pass each other worried looks.  
“Take your time, Gandalf. We rest here for the time then” Aragorn said. They nervously waiting, while Gandalf stared into the three tunnels as if he was in a trance. Aereth takes in her surrounding, looking at the carvings across from her that lead to another entrance, probably another part of the town. Legolas sits next to her.  
“Even though you might not like dwarfs, you got to confess that this is impressive” She says to him, awestruck by this different kind of beauty.  
“It is very gorgeous. This must’ve taken them centuries to figure out” he joked. She chuckled.  
“This might be where I’ll see my first orc” she changed the subject.  
“Are you nervous?” he asked her, that notion would be surprising to him.  
“No, just curious to what my opposite would look like” she answered with a smile. He shook his head while smiling.  
“has that occupied your mind so thoroughly?” he asked.  
“A bit” she confessed, looking down. He chuckled.  
“It shouldn’t really surprise you though. Orcs don’t seem to be good enough swimmers to take us on” Aereth said proudly.  
“Yes, but it would be hard getting your troupes on land I’d imagine” he teased. He still thought her to be a princess or nobility and she thought him to be a warrior or high-ranking soldier. She chuckled.  
“that is why you lure your enemies that can’t swim into it with song” she said.  
“I will have you know then that at least half of our fellowship is unable to swim… me included” he whispered the last part. Her eyes grew wide.  
“Are you joking right now?” she asked.  
“I can stay above water,” he said.  
“would you like me to help you improve?” she asked.  
“I would” he answered with a smile.  
“Ah! It's that way!” Gandalf point at the tunnel to his right.  
“He's remembered!” a relieved Merry shouts.  
“No. But the air doesn’t smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose! Yes...” he laughs. They walked into the darkness, guided by Gandalf’s light. They came out of the tunnel and into a long hall with many doors. They were all unharmed and intact.  
“We should rest for the night,” Gandalf said and proceeded to reach for a door, it was locked. A few members spread out and looked for an unlocked door.  
“let me try something,” Aereth said and took a javelin out of her quiver and Gandalf took a step away to let her try. She kneeled and picked the giant keyhole with the help of her javelin. A few seconds later it clicked open and she opened the door, it was empty and looked safe. She held the door open for Gandalf.  
“Great job, Aereth” he said and went inside. The room was relatively small, yet had enough space for the fellowship. She closed the door behind her.  
“I didn’t know you could pick locks” Aragorn said.  
“it is a useful skill, especially if you’re on a mission to find locked up people” she said. From her tone, it was clear she didn’t really take this too seriously.  
“that is undeniable, yes” he said with a smile. Most of the fellowship was tense and scared of what was to come, but not Legolas. He was even joking around on the mountain top about how Gandalf could’ve simply just burned away the snow. So, it was natural for Aereth to stay close to him, since neither of them was bothered by the darkness around and he gave her a feeling of familiarity that helped her keep calm.  
“do you have keys to your home, or do you simply just pick the locks?” Legolas asked her jokingly. She chuckled. Sitting down next to him.  
“it is more civil to use keys. I usually keep it to a minimum” she answered.  
“the lock-picking or the key usage?” he asked amused, she winked at him and smiled.  
“Should I be worried?” he chuckled.  
“no, I haven’t heard any suspicious noises yet” she answered, knowing that it wasn't the right answer. They did have a lot of fun together, yet it didn’t go unnoticed. Aragorn sat next to Gandalf, both smoking their pipes.  
“Should we let them be? they are the ones with the keenest senses of us and they occupy each other’s focus quite a lot” Aragorn asked Gandalf.  
“from what I have seen are they even more aware of their surroundings now that they have something of personal value as motivation” Gandalf responded, yet it seemed his words also contained a lesson to Aragorn. That his love should fuel him, not make him doubt his decisions.  
The fellowship was tucked in for the night. All except Aereth, it was her that had the only night-watch for tonight, for they did not plan to rest for more than one. The night was long and boring, she decided to try to draw the fellowship. After all, they were all asleep and barely moved. She began with Pippin, as he was closest to her and made her way slowly through all their faces. It ended up hilariously wrong and ugly. It seemed the darkness couldn’t get to her, for she glowed strong enough to be a light in the dark. It seemed to calm the men around her as well, but there were still some twitches and tosses. She decided to leave the room, sit outside the door. For it would be of greater aid for her to spot danger. The hallway was dark and quiet, a void of death and decay. She looked through the inky darkness, looking for any movement. But there was none. Suddenly she heard a sharp inhale and a person jerk themselves up from their sleep. She wasn’t sure if she should act on that but decided to stay outside. Then she heard footsteps getting closer to the door. The door opened and the sleepless person was Sam. She looked up at him and smiled.  
“what’s wrong?” she whispered. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.  
“I couldn’t sleep” he answered, letting himself slump down beside her.  
“Why are you sitting here?” he asked unnerved.  
“It is easier to protect you if I see what is coming and if something would happen, I could barricade you in and lead them off somewhere else,” she said.  
“but then they would know there is something inside” he murmured.  
“that is true. But I do have keener eyesight in darkness than most other creatures and I could hide inside as well” she answered, keeping her eyes on the hallway.  
“Why couldn’t you sleep?” she then asked.  
“My back hurts,” he said, she smiled.  
“That is an issue outdoors. But don’t worry, 50 years from now it won’t be any more” she said. she knew it was the least helpful advice one could give, but she just wanted to put a perspective on it.  
“then I’ll be back in the shire, in my own bed” Sam imagined.  
“and you’ll have a beautiful wife and grandchildren to whom you can tell your adventures in the mines and how you got to meet a fish-lady” she added with a big smile. He smiled at the thought  
“yeah, that would be nice. And you’ll be married to an elf prince and live in a huge forest castle” he teased her. she only laughed it off.  
“I don’t think I’ll find a prince for that to happen,” she said. He raised his eyebrows.  
“You mean to tell me that you didn’t know that Legolas was a prince?” he asked her. now it was her time to raise her eyebrows.  
“no, I really didn’t, and how should I’ve known?” she asked him.  
“Well, you two do talk a lot,” he said. she smiled.  
“is that also why you think we are in love? Because we talk?” she asked teasingly. He sighed.  
“You have a point. But you are telling me you don’t like him, even a little?” Sam asked her. She could feel a smile creep up on her lips at the thought of Legolas. It said more than a thousand words and was undeniably a sign.  
“maybe… yes,” she said softly.


	8. Durin's bane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the fellowship leaves the mines only thanks to a high price they have to pay.

Her shift was over, and she joyously walked inside and thought about all the wonderful mischievous ways she could wake them up. But since she only had a limited arsenal to work with was it hard to do something exciting. And she decided to dismiss it for later, when they all would appreciate her humour more. She instead prepared everything for their journey onward, make breakfast and change her clothing. Unlike other cultures it was nothing scandalous if merfolk saw each other naked, they practically were all the time since they were covered in scales and only truly wore clothes for events and to go to war.  
“The night is over, wake up now” she said softly. Hoping to wake someone. It didn’t work. So she instead decided to go around and shake them all awake carefully. She began strategically with the one that took the longest time to get ready and would work from there.  
“wake up, Gimli,” she said, shaking him awake. He grunted and complained a bit, but he listened to her.  
“good morning, you two” she said and shook Merry and Pippin awake. They groaned and protested, but Gimli wasn’t having it.  
“Let them be, Gimli, if they don’t listen to me, they’ll get a punishment later” she said with a mischievous smirk. He agreed and let them be.  
“wake up, Boromir,” she said, less passionately than with the others. He immediately did a light sleeper. Without complaining and grumbling, he also got ready.  
“you too, Aragorn,” she said and shook him awake. He turned around, looked at her and sighed. But he did as asked from him.  
“Gandalf wake up” she continued. He was a bit grumpy in the morning and more assured her that he ‘was more powerful than her’ and she told him ‘that that did not matter, and the orcs would surely find out if he refused to wake up’ and he countered with ‘they can try’. But he eventually got up and got ready.  
“Sam, come on get up,” she said, waking him as well. He sat up and looked at her confused. She told him to get ready and he seemed too tired to disobey, so he did as he was told.  
“Good morning, Legolas” she continued. He woke up softly and turned to her with a smile. She told him to get ready and he did. There were a few fleeting eyes on them, but no one stared.  
“Frodo, wake up, it’s time to go,” she said to him, she was way gentler with him than the others. He really deserved it in her opinion. He woke up with big glazed eyes. She comforted him and told him to get ready. Frodo sat up and saw the others doing so. But a pair of hobbits were still sleeping.  
“Aereth, I don’t think they heard you,” Aragorn said to her, making her aware of the two. She smiled.  
“I told them. but it seems to me they need another method of waking up” she said, walking over to them with a bowl of water above their heads.  
“Hey, you two, I told you to wake up” she gave them another chance.  
“just a few more minutes” they responded. She looked at the others for any last objections. She was only encouraged. So, she did it and never saw someone so fast out of bed like that before. They looked at her bewildered. She just shrugged.  
“I told you twice and I figured you needed another sort of motivation”. That was a fun morning, at least for most of the fellowship. Neither Merry nor Pippin spoke to her that entire morning. But she had made them breakfast, so they seemed to forgive her somewhat.  
“So, this is what you do while we’re asleep” she heard a voice from behind her, it was Legolas, looking at her crude and hilariously bad drawings.  
“it is the only time you’re still enough to do so” she said.  
“wait, these are of us?” he was surprised and looked again to see it.  
“oh, come on. Look, that is Aragorn, this is Gandalf and that’s you” she said with a knowing smile. He tried not to laugh out loud. Aragorn looked up at the mentioning of his name, Legolas looked over to him and Aereth followed.  
“Aragorn look, it’s you,” she said and showed him the drawing. He looked at him and couldn’t help but smile. Legolas came over with the rest.  
“I believe this one’s the best,” Legolas said and showed him her interpretation of Gimli. They both smiled and Aragorn nodded.  
“they’re good, very good” his voice betrayed him somewhat. She chuckled.  
“You got to show that to Gimli” Aragorn than burst out enthusiastically. Legolas agreed.  
“He might kill me though,” Aereth said to Legolas.  
“I would like to see him try,” Legolas said. They were both watching it play out. But it was fine, he burst out laughing. She giggled. She looked up at him and he smiled when they met eyes. But the moment was cut short when she was suddenly in the embrace of Gimli.  
“that is genius, Aereth, I love it” he laughed whole-heartedly. He wiped away a tear of joy and looked at her.  
“You can keep it if you want,” she said. He thanked her and took it. laughing again as he looked at it.  
“Are we ready to leave?” Gandalf asked loudly. Everyone looked at him. It was a rhetorical question. After a few minutes, there was no trace of them ever being there.  
“Someone has still to make one of you,” Legolas said to her. she chuckled.  
“I don’t think I want to put that burden upon anyone against their will,” she said with a smile. They now exited the hallway and came upon what looked like the forge. It was big, with leaves of ashes scattered across the floor like snow, the furnaces were all cold and rusty. The tools lay scattered around and were starting to rot away too. They followed along the path to a large arched doorway and passed under it into a black and empty space. Gandalf pauses.  
“Let me risk a little more light.” He says and taps his staff once. It blazes up and the great shadows flee away from the strengthened light source.  
“Behold! The great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf.” Gandalf proclaims. The roof is just out of reach for the light, it is held up by mighty stone pillars. The long hall that stretches before them is polished, spotless and glimmers like glass.  
“Well, there's an eye-opener and no mistake!” Sam says. Ahead of the fellowship is a broken-down wooden door, decorated with goblin arrows and skeletons. Gimli rushes ahead into another empty chamber that was lit from a narrow shaft of sunlight. Skeletons of dwarves and goblins lay strewn around. A well, decorated with another skeleton sits at the back of the chamber. A ray of light falls directly onto a slab of white stone with runes in the middle of the room. Gimli falls on his knees in front of it.  
“No...no...oh, no!” he sobs. Gandalf follows shortly, seeing the sobbing dwarf. He reads the inscribed runes on the white stone slab.  
“’ Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.’ He is dead, then. It’s as I feared.” Gandalf speaks softly.  
“Kilmin malur ni zaram kalil ra narag. Kheled-zâram ... Balin tazlifi.” Gimli chants softly while still sobbing. Gandalf lifts up a rotting book of the slab, it is covered with dried blood, stabs and slashes. When he opens the book, every page cracks, crumbles, and breaks. The others unite with them in the chamber.  
“We must move on. We cannot linger.” Legolas whispered to Aragorn as they enter. The rest of the fellowship investigate the room.  
“these must be the last ones standing. They would’ve known the locations the goblins must be camping at” Aereth says, looking at the remains of a dwarven skeleton.  
“’They have taken the Bridge and the second hall: we have barred the gates ... but cannot hold them for long ... the ground shakes ... drums drums in the deep ... we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no-one save us? They are coming.’” Gandalf reads. At that moment pippin throws a stone down the well, knocking down the skeleton that was sitting on it as well. The fellowship freezes as they listen to the loud echoes of the descending skeleton.  
“Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!” Gandalf scolds the young hobbit. Suddenly a loud “BOOM!” can be heard, rising from the depths below, they become more and louder each time as if the mines were turned into a vast drum. A great horn is blasting at full force nearby, there are more, answering each other in closer proximity, followed by harsh cries and running feet.  
“Mr. Frodo!” Sam screams worried.  
“Orsc!” Legolas shouts out. Aereth peaks up and positions herself next to Legolas, spear, and javelin ready in hand.  
“now this I have to see” she whispers to him, he smiles as he trains his bow at the door.  
“Get back! Stay close to Gandalf.” Aragorn orders the hobbits before running to wedge the door with Boromir. But before closing the door entirely, Boromir catches sight of something and turns to Aragorn.  
“They have a cave troll!” he says, shock prominent in his eyes. Gimli takes up two rusty axes from the fallen dwarves and leaps unto the tomb.  
“Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!” he shouts. Aragorn and Boromir position themselves beside the other two.  
“trolls usually have thick skin, but it weakens around the joints and nose” she recalls. Suddenly there is a force against the door, goblins are trying to break in, stretching their arms through and hacking down at the door. Aragorn and Legolas fire lethal arrows at the attempting intruders, yet their efforts are in vain. With a crash, the door gives in and bursts open, 20 goblins charge in, followed by a massive cave troll. Aragorn and Boromir now wade into the masses and take them on with their swords while Gimli has already buried his axes in 2 goblin skulls. Legolas is firing arrows into the throats of the approaching goblins, trying to shield the hobbits. Gandalf joins him in his task with his sword in hand.  
Aereth has her eyes set on the cave troll and slices her way to get to him. The cave troll has taken an interest in Aragorn and is sweeping at him with his club, causing him to stumble. But before the troll can take the killing blow, Aereth flings a javelin into its armpit. Causing it to spew green blood out of the wound and stumbling back. She smiles but has to stop her pursuit in order to aid her comrades.  
Sam is against a wall and is armed with his sword and saucepan. In desperation, he starts to swing his saucepan around and quickly eliminates two goblins. He was amazed.  
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” he says before dropping another goblin. The cave troll has taken another interest now in Frodo, and with a spear, pursuits the hobbit.  
“Help! Help!” Frodo shouts out. Sam screams loudly as Frodo is being lifted up by the cave troll and slammed against the wall with the spear. The hobbits go ballistic, slashing at the feet of the trolls and bringing it down to its knees. Aereth throws a javelin at it that goes straight through the eye and peaks out at the other end. It tumbles over.  
“7” she whispers, disappointed at the low number of opponents. Aragorn rushes to Frodo’s side, he lays on the floor motionless. the fellowship looks horrified on as he lays there. suddenly Frodo coughs and takes in a huge breath.  
“He's alive.” Sam is relieved and so is the rest of the fellowship.  
“I'm all right. I'm not hurt.” Frodo reassures.  
“You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar.” Aragorn says in disbelief.  
“I think there’s more to this Hobbit than meets the eye,” Gandalf says. Frodo opens his shirt to reveal a silver-white mithril vest, unpierced.  
“Mithril! You are full of surprises, Master Baggins.” Gimli says. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, the drums return.  
“To the bridge of Khazad-Dûm!” Gandalf orders. The fellowship follows him back to the huge Dwarrowdelf chamber.  
“this way!” Gandalf orders, leading them towards a distant door. Scurrying noises could be heard from all around and above, like thousands of cockroaches the goblins move down the pillars. The fellowship is stopped in its track by the huge swarm of a goblin army. They ready themselves to fight their way out. But suddenly there is another concern, Aereth feels a heatwave coming from the other side of the chamber. She turns to face it. A deafening roar comes from that direction and she can see Legolas tense up beside her. A fiery light grows closer and dances along the pillars. But it seems that Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, and Aereth aren’t the only ones to freeze, the goblins do the same, before running away the same way they came.  
“What is this new devilry?” Boromir asks, growing tired of all their new foes.  
“A Balrog ... a demon of the ancient world!” Legolas whispers quietly, taking Aereth’s hand in his, ready to flee.  
“This foe is beyond any of you! Run! Quickly!” Gandalf yells urgently before leading the way once again. They run towards the exit. But behind the door, a pair of stairs leads down. Boromir’s scream can be heard, and Legolas lets go of her to aid him. She stays behind, by the hobbits as they descend the stairs quickly. She sees the gap now as well, that leads to the molten fires below. She can feel the heat on her skin, it is getting close to painful now, but is still bearable.  
“Lead them on, Aragorn! The bridge is near.” Gandalf tells Aragorn. Aragorn hesitates… Gandalf gets nervous.  
“Do as I say; Swords are no more use here!” he orders Aragorn, preparing for his own match with the balrog. Aragorn runs on and leads the rest of the fellowship down the stairs to the bridge. Legolas sees the incoming gap and prepares to jump, as does Aereth. They jump over swiftly while the others hesitate. The roars of the beast grow closer. Gandalf is the first to jump. But soon after he is over, an arrow rain starts and the first one lands in Aereth’s shoulder. She cries out in pain and surprise. Legolas is quick to respond to them and shoots back deadly arrows that take down the goblin snipers. Boromir than proceeds to take the hobbits Merry and pippin into his arms and make the jump over. Aragorn then tosses over Sam, but when he wants to do the same for Gimli he protests.  
“Nobody tosses a dwarf!” Gimli says and makes the jump over the chasm by himself. But almost fails. When Legolas grabs onto him he is not happy with the chosen limb.  
“Not the beard!” he demands as he gets pulled to safety. Aereth breathes deeply, the arrow still in her shoulder. She kneels closer to the floor to stay conscious. Boromir sits beside her, shielding them from arrows if the need would be. She sees him move his hand towards the arrow.  
“don’t remove it, we don’t have the time to take care of the wound here,” she says between gasping breaths. Aragorn and Frodo are left, but the chasm grows wider. She stands up again, getting ready to run when they finally decide to join them.  
“We should give them some space, not all of us need to aid them,” she says lowly. But her words animate some of them to move. The balrog grows closer, she can feel his painful heat draw near and decides to take another step down. Soon their platform falls forward and Frodo and Aragorn join the fellowship once again to flee. Legolas runs back to Aereth.  
“Are you alright?” he asks her as the stairs collapse behind them.  
“It just hurts a lot” she answers. He then immediately tries to help her. they run together through the even more painful flames and towards the bridge. The balrog is still hot on their heels (pun intended). But Gandalf puts himself between the beast and the fellowship on the bridge. Boromir and Aragorn get ready to help by drawing their swords and moving back onto the bridge.  
“You cannot pass!” Gandalf shouts at the being of fire and shadow.  
“Gandalf!” Frodo shouts back at the wizard.  
“I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!” Gandalf orders the creature. But it just stands tall on his hind legs and spreads its wings from wall-to-wall, making Gandalf look like a tiny figure balanced on the narrow bridge. The balrog proceeds to swing its flaming sword at Gandalf. Gandalf blocks it with his sword, Glamdring, and after a ringing clash, the sword of the balrog shatters into molten fragments.  
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” Gandalf’s voice is booming. The balrog places a foot on the bridge.  
“He cannot stand alone! Elendil! I am with you Gandalf!” Aragorn shouts as he pulls his sword and joins him on the bridge.  
“Gondor!” Boromir proclaims with his sword held high. They both race towards the enemy. With his last reserves of strength, Gandalf uses his staff to burn the bridge and his staff away with a white flame before the two men arrive. The bridge breaks at the balrogs feet and it plunges down into the gulf of darkness. Relief washes over Frodo as he watches the old man stand at the lip of the broken bridge. But before anything else can happen, the whip of the balrog takes hold of Gandalf’s knee and drag him down. He manages to hold on by his fingertips.  
“GANDALF!” Frodo screams.  
“Fly, you fools!” he shouts fiercely before letting go and following the Balrog into the abyss. Boromir scoops up Frodo and the fellowship hurries out. They rush towards an archway and up the stairs to the sunlight that shines them the way.


	9. Arrival in Lothlórien

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first meeting with a being that knows the beauty of Aman. But it is the same day she feels alone and without a hand to hold.

The fellowship was finally outside; the sunlight hit their faces as a few of them collapse on the greenery and rocks. Aereth tries to calm her racing heart from the pain and adrenalin that is rushing through her system. She could hear the sobbing of the hobbits. Her arm was throbbing with pain and warmth.   
” Legolas, get them up.” Aragorn called urgently to the elf and dwarf in front of her. They both nodded and walked over to the hobbits. But before Legolas passed her his worried eyes met hers and she gave him a reassuring smile.   
“Give them a moment ... for pity's sake!” Boromir argued, his voice was also tainted with grief. it wouldn’t help to mourn his death, he sacrifices himself for them to move on, it hurt for everyone. But Gandalf wouldn’t want them to die just outside of his own grave.   
“By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with Orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlórien. Aereth needs medical attention we cannot provide. Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up. On your feet, Sam. “She could feel the hand of someone else on her arm, it was Aragorn.   
“Do you think you can make it there?” he asked her softly, he was worried. She nodded, looking forward at the path. He nodded.  
“Frodo? Frodo!” Aragorn shouted suddenly. The hobbit in question was staring out into a valley. His face was red and wet from the tears he had cried, a look of shock was on his devastated face.   
“Come on, this way,” he said and lead the group as they marched away from the mines of Moria. She walked along, seeing how the hobbits were dragging along with their heads low. She walked up to Sam and stroke his hair. He looked up at who it was and when he saw it was her, he let his tears fall freely into her half embrace. She rubbed soothing circles on back, feeling his breath calm down somewhat.  
“I can’t imagine the pain you must feel, Sam. For I only knew him briefly and still am devastated” she said softly. He wiped at his eye, looking up at her. She had broken off the largest part of the arrow, but it remained deeply in her arm. But she smiled at him with empathy.  
“I knew him for a great part of my life. He basically lived with us in the shire” Sam began to recall. She listened to him talk and cry and tried to support him the best she could. After a while, the road narrowed, and they had to split up. She smiled at him.  
“Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” she said. He had calmed down and walked calmly along the road. The fellowship was now once again walking in a straight line.

The night was growing closer as the light started to fade. Aragorn scours ahead of the fellowship, looking for what must be Lothlórien.   
“It’s not far now, just down this hill and we’ll be there” he informs the rest. Aereth looks up, seeing a shimmering forest in front of her, with golden leaves on silver pillars. It was almost like home, yet not at the same time. She looked at the water beside the fading road, it looked so welcoming.   
“Does your arm feel any better?” Legolas asked her concerned, walking on light feet beside her.   
“I must be getting used to the pain by now. But there is another pain that rivals it” she said, looking back up at the mountain. He nodded understandingly.  
“even though I have seen so many days, this is something I will never get used to,” she said.  
“truer words have yet to be spoken” he answered. She could feel his grief, even though he did not show it. She brushed her fingers against his hand, not sure if she should take it. But he reassured her by taking her into his own. The touch was soothing and warm, she could feel a wave of electricity rush through her body.   
As they got closer Aragorn fastened his pace. Until they all were running across the forest floor that was decorated with golden flowers that were as beautiful as the leaves on the silver trees. The forest was alive with animals singing and chirping around them. Aereth was still by Legolas side, he looked at the forest as if he was returning home, there was something deeply relaxing about it. She could now feel its magic and it echoed that of her own home. Legolas saw her relax as he did.  
“Ah, Lothlórien. The fairest of all the dwellings of my people. There are no trees like the trees of this land, for in autumn the leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers, and the floor of the wood is golden and golden is the roof, and its pillars are of silver, for the bark of the trees is smooth and grey. So still our songs in Mirkwood say.” Legolas mused over the forest.  
“Stay close, young Hobbits ... they say a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell...” Gimli said nervously as he darted around with his eyes. She could feel lady Galadriel’s power coursing through the air around her, she was unsettled and concerned.  
“the lady is watching us, I can feel her” Aereth whispered to Legolas. He wasn’t concerned about it in any way.  
“We are in her forests” he responded.  
“And are never seen again!” Gimli ended his scary story for the hobbits. Aereth heard something move in the trees. She looked around but saw nothing in the shadows. Legolas looked at her confused. It must be the pain that makes her hallucinate.  
“Well, here’s one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!” Gimli proclaimed, shortly after they were surrounded by elves. Deadly arrows are pointed at each of their heads. She was right. Then an elf steps forward.  
“The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark.” He says. Gimli sounds displeased by his statement. Aereth glanced over at Legolas, making sure he was alright. He looked over at her for a second. Both surrounded by four elves.   
They move, now captured by them. Legolas has put away his weapon and is the only one to walk freely without any arrows on him. Gimli is forced to wear a blind-fold and to support him Aereth does the same. But through the darkness she can still feel Legolas beside her and the ever-watchful eyes of Galadriel upon them. They walk for an hour, which Gimli uses to express his distaste of the situation, while constantly being told to quiet down.   
In the end, they stop and take off their blindfolds. The fellowship was now amongst the treetops, surrounded by even more elves than before. She stood beside Boromir and Gimli. Soft silver light surrounded them and made the forest appear even more like the ones she knew from home.   
“Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion. (Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil.)” the captain greeted Legolas.   
“Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien.” Legolas answered. It was surprising for her to learn that Legolas knew these elves, yet they still trained weapons upon him. Haldir then glances over them, resting on her for just a second before moving to Aragorn.  
“A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen. “Haldir said to him. It was getting tedious for her to listen to something she didn’t completely understand.   
“Haldir,” Aragorn answered with a slight nod. It seems she wasn’t the only one to not approve of their Sindarin.  
“So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can also understand!” Gimli finally snapped. Haldir directed his attention at the dwarf.  
“We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days.” He commented on the dwarf, his displeasure to talk to him clearly audible.  
“And you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!” Gimli said. She only knew that those were words that weren’t of pleasant meaning. But Aragorn’s reaction made it clear that her suspicions weren’t only right, those seemed to be swear-words.   
“That was not so courteous,” Aragorn says sternly to the dwarf while holding his arm in a tight grip. Haldir moved on, looking at their fellowship until his gaze lands on Frodo.  
“You bring great evil with you. (to Aragorn) You can go no further. “Haldir says before he walks away. She glances back at Frodo, he looks uncomfortable. Aragorn looks at Legolas and motions for him to follow him. They begin to talk with Haldir once again. Many of the fellowship choose to sit and wait out what could only be a long wait. Aereth looks around. The guards keep a sharp eye on them with bows ready in hand.   
Time passes painfully slow and Aragorn is now the only one talking with Haldir. Legolas goes over to her, laying a careful hand on her arm.  
“Are you alright, Aereth?” he asks her concerned. She looks up at him with a small smile.  
“I’m fine. I just need water” she said. He immediately pulled out a water bag. She chuckled.  
“Oh, sorry. I meant for swimming, Legolas. But thank you for the offer” she said feeling bad. He shook his head slightly while putting it away with a smile.  
“That is something I cannot help you with, I’m afraid,” he said, looking at her wound again. It looked worse and feels worse as well. She needed the help the elves could provide. When she looked back up at Legolas he appeared so guilt-struck.  
“You need help, Aereth, it will only get worse,” he said, his hands holding her delicately yet as if it would be the last time he would ever hold her. His face changed as he looked over at Frodo. Frodo met his eyes and Legolas looked away. Aereth saw the pain in Frodo’s eyes and that he had dressed himself in a coat of guilt that didn’t belong to him, so she gifted him a smile.  
“I’m okay, Legolas, we have all the time of the earth. Frodo makes himself out to be the sole reason of all our problems just because we have to wait. I would rather carry such burden for him, for he will not see the beauty we both might witness five-hundred years from now” she said, giving Frodo another well-meaning look. He seemed to understand her as his eyes weren’t as sad. Legolas was silent, he does not answer her and removes his hands from her body and turns away. He seemed bothered by her words. Yet before she can speak to him again Haldir steps in.  
“Very well. Here we will stay awhile, and come to the city of Galadhrim on the morrow.” Haldir announces. She looks over at him, his eyes linger on her once again. He must be unfamiliar with her kind. Her eyes go back to Frodo, he was still visibly grieving his friend’s death, but somehow seemed much calmer about it. Legolas was standing at the edge of the platform, looking over the forest.  
“how’s your arm?” Frodo asked her concerned.  
“It just needs an arrow removal and a good washing to be alright once again,” she said, not wanting to worry him.   
“you’re tough. I didn’t expect that from you” Boromir says with a smile, his words were honest. She looks up at him with raised eyebrows and a smile.  
“And you’re compassionate. I was surprised to learn that. But I’m now proud to know it” she answered, she meant it truly. He smiled back.  
“thank you, Aereth,” he said. This was the first nice moment they shared. Frodo seemed now more comfortable to know that there was no ill-spirit still present.  
The night fell and they all rested for a while. But Aereth was restless from the pain still surging through her body, it truly did make her tired, but it was also enough to keep her awake. So, she kept her senses open to her surroundings and took in every detail. How Aragorn was clutching the necklace around his neck, Gimli sat upright to sleep, Merry & Pippin were clumped together, Sam was sleeping next to Frodo, Boromir clutched his sword in his sleep and was having a nightmare and Legolas was still at the end of the platform for sleeping. She felt bad for her words but didn’t know how she hurt him. She sat upright watching over the others as the moonlight played with her hair. It was clear that she had caught somewhat of the light and beauty of her home and it was now on full display. Her open hair spread like streams of water from her head and sparkled like water.   
“What brought a beautiful creature like yourself to join this… fellowship?” she heard the elven captain approach her. His words were still harsh towards Gimli as he walked past him. His disdain for dwarves was the same as Legolas’s was, yet Legolas never spoke about him in such a manner.   
“The desire to protect my land and people” she answered whilst standing up. He was still taller than her. He watched her thoroughly. He seemed pleased with her answer.  
“You are not from here, are you?” he asked her, stopping in front of her and inspecting her closely.  
“No, I’m not” she answered shortly. He was intrigued by her.  
“then tell me. where would you be from?” he asked.  
“I am born in the city of Alqualondë and raised in the sea on the coast of Aman,” she said, her voice wasn’t proud, yet her words were. He looked at her ethereal form, she was something different. Just like Galadriel.  
“An elf you are not, yet you carry yourself with grace no human could,” he said, not asking the question that must be troubling him the most.  
“You’re right, I am not. I live my life in this existence as a mermaid” she said, looking back over the forest. A slight breeze rustled through the leaves, making her hair leave the ground and glide through the air.   
“It has been ages since mermaids have visited this forest, it’s a pleasure,” he said, bowing slightly. She smiled and bowed her head slightly in response. He glanced down at her arm once again.  
“it’s a shame you had to be in such a condition. In Galadhrim you are sure to get the best help” he said. His words were kind and helped her forget her worries. She could hear a voice in her head.  
“Aereth” it must be Galadriel, she could feel her stand in her garden, watching her.  
“I can feel great power within you, Aereth” she heard her voice once again. 

The night passed and in the morning Frodo and Sam were gone with Haldir. While waiting on them Aragorn decided to wander through the forest and so did Legolas. Aereth sat on top of the platform, her hair was untouched, she watched from the lip of the platform how the forest was slowly breathing in the morning air and how Boromir was making sure Merry and Pippin didn’t collect any poisonous mushrooms. She heard the familiar walk of Gimli approaching her, she turned to him with a faint smile.   
“Good morning, Gimli, did you sleep well?” she asked softly. Her hair flowing around her and down like a waterfall.   
“like a rock. These elves are watching us like vultures” he said, sitting down next to her.   
“It must be because we’re both very exquisite people,” she said jokingly. He liked that way of looking at it. But his broad smile faded once the elves started singing.  
“I’m sick of all these fairy tunes, can’t they do something else than ruin the good mood for everyone?” he asked. It sounded like a rhetorical question to her. She chuckled.  
“well, we have yet to arrive in the city,” she said. He did not seem happy about that aspect either. But before the conversation could continue another person approached them. It was Haldir.  
“We will head out now, get your things,” he said, a harsh tone present. But his eyes lingered serenely on her.   
“First they refuse every step and now they can’t wait to get moving. These elves want to seize every plan it seems” he grumbled while helping her up.   
“At least we’ll get somewhere nice to sleep tonight,” she said.  
“It wouldn’t surprise me if they slept on tree branches,” he said, getting his things. She was left to do the same. Her hair was once again getting stuck in her bag. But she was left alone with the task to untangle it. She felt so lonely. Boromir saw her and approached her.  
“It is odd to see you all alone like this,” he said. She looked up at him. Her hair free again and she put on her bag.  
“But you’re here, so I’m not anymore,” she said standing up and smiling weakly once again.   
“you know what I mean,” he said softly. She looked down and he followed his gaze, Legolas was walking through the forest, his look blank.  
“I must’ve upset him with my words,” she said, looking at him guilty. Boromir smiled knowingly.   
“he is not mad at you, Aereth. He is just… pondering I would say” Boromir answered her with an optimistic tone.   
“how do you know?” she asked worriedly.  
“if he would be mad, he wouldn’t be as gentle with his surroundings and would most likely be staring daggers at you,” he said with a reassuring smile. Even though she was thousands of years old she had no clue of these reserved behaviours, for whenever there was a problem, they would speak to her to resolve it. The fellowship gathered on the forest floor, surrounded once again by guards. She glanced over at Legolas, who was beside Aragorn now. Legolas was looking on the road ahead of them, but Aragorn caught her lingering on the elf. She looked down. They started moving once again. Frodo was walking ahead of her and she followed him closely. Not looking up from the road. 

She walked quietly until the afternoon, listening to the others and humming in responses. They walk up a hill when she felt a presence beside her. It was Haldir once again. He seemed eager to talk to her.  
“Can I help you?” she asked politely. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled softly.  
“I’m fine, thank you” he answered. She looked ahead once again. They were almost at the top of the hill.  
“Soon you’ll get to see the epitome of the elven culture,” he said proudly. Stopping at the top of the hill and looking back at her in anticipation of her reaction. In front of her, a mighty forest stretches over the plains and several miles away from them a hill rises that is embellished with mighty mallorn trees, taller than any others around them. Hidden among their tree crowns is a beautiful city, gleaming peacefully in the faint light of the late afternoon. Behind her, she can hear sounds of awe coming from the fellowship.   
“Caras Galadon. The heart of Elvendom on earth. This is the city of Galadhrim where dwell the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light.” Haldir states proudly. But even though it was gorgeous, it was nothing out of the ordinary for her. She looks beyond the forest and into the darkness that is dwelling in the south, not even the sun could light it up. She glances back to Frodo, who had his eyes on the same darkness. A look of uncertainty and fear formed on his brow. When he met her eyes, she smiled at him.  
“together” she mouthed at him. He seemed to understand for he nodded slightly and seemed to be a little more at ease.   
“Moving on,” Haldir said and the group was once again on the move. She looked over the land one last time, it was so homely to her that she almost expected to hear her nieces and nephews call to her out of the trees to find them. Aragorn soon walked by her side. Aereth looked up to meet his eyes. He appeared stressed from having to steer the group but was now somewhat relaxed from knowing they will be safe for the night.  
“Are you excited to get a good full-nights rest?” she asked with a smile. He looked back on the road.  
“yeah, that would be nice for a change” he answered with a small smirk. But that wasn’t why he was by her. He had questions, many of which were for his own belittlement.  
“There are things that are out of our control, Aragorn. We can only do so much to steer it, but in the end, we are all powerless as to how it turns out” she said. Her words reminded him of his love. True words of wisdom that are learned through ages. She could feel how his mind grew lighter as the memories of his beloved filled them.   
“I only met her briefly. But it was enough time to know that she held an unreplaceable beauty in her soul” Aereth spoke honestly. He seemed to agree with her as his smile grew with what he felt for her.   
“Indeed,” he said.   
They arrived in the city at night. But from there they were escorted up the climbing stairs. They finally arrive in a fleet filled with soft light. The trunk of the living tree is a pillar in the wide room of green and silver. Celeborn steps forward to greet his guests. His hair is made of long silver locks, his face, ageless, grave and beautiful. By his side is Galadriel, she has hair of deep gold and timeless unsurpassed beauty.  
“The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Nine there are here, yet ten there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar.” Celeborn speaks sternly. Aereth looked down, she didn’t want Galadriel to recognize her, even though she probably already knew.  
“Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow.” Galadriel spoke.  
“He was taken by both Shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria.” She heard Legolas speak. It was the first time today she heard his voice and it was pure bliss for her. Yet the grief came over her as did it the other members of the fellowship.  
“Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose.” Galadriel continued. She was now surveying the group, Aereth tried to hide behind Aragorn from her eyes.  
“Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart Gimli, son of Glóin. For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands, love is now mingled with grief.” Galadriel addresses Gimli. She then continues to see through the fellowship. Boromir was next, he was fearful and nervous as her eyes were piercing through him. She turned back to her husband.  
“What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost.” Celeborn spoke. Those words hurt Aereth’s pride somewhat, as he was undermining the leadership of Aragorn and the compassion and friendships that have been established.  
“The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all... Yet hope remains while the company is true.” Galadriel said, looking at Aragorn and Aereth. She then wanders with her gaze to Sam.  
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil.” She said and they were escorted out. But Aereth could hear her, speaking in telepathy to Frodo. Before she left, she glanced back and was meet by Galadriel’s eyes.  
‘Your bath will await you, Aereth, daughter of Alqualaurë’ Galadriel’s voice whispered in her mind.  
‘thank you, Galadriel, daughter of Finarfin’ she responded in Galadriel’s mind. She received a knowing nod before she left.   
On a pavilion set amongst trees near the fountain, lay Gimli, Merry, Sam, Pippin, Legolas and Frodo on soft couches as elves bring them food and wine. Mournful song surrounds them as it slowly drifts from the trees above. Aereth approaches them on her way to her bath.  
“I bet they don’t mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them.” Sam says before he stands up. She observes the scene for now.  
“The finest rockets ever seen  
They burst in stars of blue and green  
Or after thunder, silver showers  
Come falling like a rain of flowers.  
Oh, that doesn’t do them justice by a long road.” Sam says, sitting down again with frustration and disappointment over himself.  
“It is not about the words that you choose. But what meaning you give them” she said approaching him with a smile. He looked up at her.  
“I bet you could sing them just fine,” Sam said, still beat down.  
“The finest rockets ever seen  
They burst in stars of blue and green  
Or after thunder, silver showers  
Come falling like a rain of flowers.

sparkling lights and pure gleam  
None like we have ever seen.  
Sparks that light up night like day,  
We mourn the second you went away.

Once upon a day  
There came a wizard of grey  
His heart was of gold  
And his power to behold  
He was brave as he was smart  
His name will forever remain in our heart.” She continued the song, elaborating it in something completely different. A silence came over the city, as they listened to the unmatchable voice of a mermaid. But it didn’t go on for long. Sam seemed somewhat happier. Legolas looked at her, but when she met his gaze he looked away.  
“I’ll have to go. I will see you later” she said. The water was calling to her.


	10. The path of the unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night amongst the radiant trees of Lothlórien. The first steps on a new road are taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song sung by Sam is written by Mr. Tolkien himself. I also use the aid of the screenplay to remind me of the lines, since even though I love the movie and the books. I choose not to reread it every time again.

She walked down the silver stairs and was greeted by a huge pool with warm water and a smell of flowers and herbs. The elven maids there were ready to assist her with her wound. But as soon as she saw the water Aereth started her transformation back, scales pierced through her skin slowly and she quickly took off her robe and pulled out the arrow. As soon as she landed in the water, she could feel her tail re-grow and her gills start to breathe again. The elves were surprised and looked at the silver-white mermaid in the blood-stained water. Aereth’s wound was closing by itself due to her transformation, her hands became webbed and her ears more prominent and pointier. She dove up from the water and smiled at them.  
“thank you for the bath, you’re free to stay. But I won’t be needing assistance” she said softly. They nodded before leaving her. A set of new clothes lay on a sofa together with a towel. Aereth dove under once again, looking up into the soft light of the forest. Her hair was flowing freely. She felt at home and when she closed her eyes, she could hear the call of whales and song of mermaids. But there was something different now, she felt an urge to dive up. Her home was no longer what she wanted to go back to. She broke the surface again, letting the air hit her as she breathed through her nose once more.  
“War can change lives. But for someone that knows nothing else, it might be the love of another that changes you” she heard Galadriel from behind her. Aereth turned around and looked at her. Galadriel was like a beautiful rose of light and stars. Aereth was different, she was like an ethereal orchid, of silver waves and endless seas. They were both beautiful, yet incomparable to each other.  
“An answer is all I require to be resting. Will my heart desire the land more than the earth forevermore?” she asked, looking out into the forest. Galadriel smiled at her warmly.  
“that is for your heart to decide,” she said to Aereth. Aereth nodded, accepting her words. But Galadriel hadn’t come for that reason alone.  
“you’re powerful, my child. The magic of our home flows through you, even though you haven’t seen its prime it is within you. Use it” Galadriel spoke.  
“I do not know how” she responded, looking down at the water.  
“then let me guide you. Feel the spirit of the world around you, call it to you and focus on what you want it to do” Galadriel said. Aereth did as she was told. The water around her was pulsating with life and she could feel the river and small streams around her. While holding her breath she commanded it all to stop and with an exhale all the water stopped moving. No noise was heard and when she looked around, she was it was all motionless.  
“good, now let it go,” Galadriel said, and she did. The noises from around them returned. She stayed for a little longer and the two of them talked, Galadriel told Aereth about her life in Aman and her ring Nenya. She listened carefully and told her about the depths of the ocean and that she had been taught things from Uinen and Salmar about music and the creatures of the depths.  
“I will have to leave you now, Aereth. Enjoy the water” Galadriel said, disappearing from her sight. Aereth rested her head on the side of the pool, closing her eyes once again. She could hear the seagulls in her mind and the waves that sang along. She hummed along with the memory, feeling her heart grow lighter.  
“my sea of home,  
With a bed of foam,  
A wilderness of waves.  
Yet the sparkling depths of blue  
Are nothing compared to you.  
Your words are that which saves  
A life of which I seem  
Only able to dream.” She stopped herself, realizing that she had just sung out everything that was within her thoughts and heart. She could feel a warmth rising to her cheeks. But it only got worse when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, keeping her cheeks underwater with only her eyes visible. It was from across the trees, on another one, climbing up the stairs she could see Gimli in the company of Legolas. She watched them as they stopped on the floor across from her. They were talking with elves and having a good time. She could feel her heart ache from having to watch it. She sat on the side of the pool, her fin still in the water as she was watching Legolas talking to others, smiling and enjoying their company. Whatever she had done, she regretted. She put her face in her hands.  
“I’m sorry Legolas, whatever I did I take it back.” She whispered to herself. But before long, she was back to singing, since it was the only true way, she could relieve herself and express her emotions.  
“prince of forestland  
I cannot understand  
Why you won’t hold my hand  
Yet it is nothing I’d ever demand.  
Prince of undying trees,  
I have fallen in my knees,  
Begging of you please,  
Let us find our peace.” She stopped her song to sneeze. It helped her to get back to reality somewhat. She looked across and saw Gimli look at her, while Legolas was talking to two elleths. She dove back into the water, feeling the warmth of the water embrace her once again. The water was still pink from her blood, but all her wounds were closed. But the reason she remained was simple: she wanted time for herself to think. But it turned out to be impossible with what was happening across from her. They must’ve heard her song, or at least her sneezing, so they knew she was here. Soon she heard her name from above the surface. She reluctantly resurfaced and saw it was Aragorn.  
“Here you are, I was worried something happened,” he said, relieved to see her. She nodded.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked. She hesitated for a moment. But she knew he could give her answers.  
“Is Legolas upset with me? he has avoided me the entire day. Boromir says he isn’t, but he does act like it” she said looking up at him for guidance. Aragorn smiled.  
“No, from what I can tell you is it something else. He would be more likely to get mad at Gimli than at you” he said. He knew something that he wouldn’t tell her, she could tell by how he reacted. But he was right, Gimli was more out to get him than she was.  
“if you say so. Then I’ll take your word for it” she said and smiled at him. He smiled back, but it faded as soon as he saw what was beneath the surface.  
“is that your tail?” he asked curiously.  
“Yeah”  
“I’m sorry. But I have never seen one before” he said, stopping his stare.  
“it’s okay, want to touch it?” she asked, holding it out of the water. her scales were like pure white diamonds and her fins were like flowing chiffon of threads of starlight and flowing like the fins of a betta fish. He looked at her for permission, she nodded, and he touched it very carefully.  
“it’s warmer than expected and wet,” he said. She chuckled and put it back down.  
“yeah, most think we’ll be like cold fish. But we are warm-blooded and it’s only while I have legs that my skin is also water-repellent” she answered. He looked fascinated. He turned to leave.  
“I just wanted to inform you that we wanted to eat together later,” he said she nodded.  
“Okay,” he waved before leaving. She smiled to herself. It had to take a lot to get this group of their path. She turned to dive back under, but her hair was stuck in a branch above her. She didn’t even question how it got there. instead, she decided she would comb through it and braid it herself.  
The comb was just out of reach and she had to slither on the floor like a serpent to get to it. When she finally had it, she was stuck on land but didn’t want to turn back yet. She crawled back. Panting and exhausted she was found on the floor by Legolas. She hadn’t moved an inch, because it was all so slippery.  
“Aereth, are you alright?” she turned to the familiar voice. Relief washed over her as she saw him.  
“Legolas,” she said, trying to move but slipping once again.  
“I can’t move,” she said, reaching out her hand, but retracting hesitantly. He walked to her side and kneeled down to her.  
“what were you even doing?” he asked her. She smiled, having missed his eyes.  
“I got stuck with my hair again, so I decided to comb it through thoroughly. But the brush was so far from the water” she said, looking back at the pool. He followed her gaze and nodded.  
“Could you help me?” she asked.  
“of course,” he said. She offered him her hand, but he instead reached around her back and under her fin and lifted her from the ground. She held on for dear life, but also because she had missed him. He was soft and warm.  
“thank you” she whispered while in his arms. he sat her down carefully by the edge and she hopped in and turned back to him. He sat by the edge now looking at her.  
“I’m sorry I avoided you, yet there were things I had to think about before I could talk to you again,” he said. She smiled.  
“It’s okay. I thought it was something I had said that made you angry or sad” she said, sitting next to him. He smiled slightly.  
“I don’t believe you would ever do something to hurt me intentionally or by words,” he said, looking her deep in the eyes.  
“no, never,” she said without hesitation.  
“maybe to tease you” she added.  
“I wouldn’t be surprised” he answered raising his eyebrows. She just smiled at him, glad to talk to him again. She hugged him, he was somewhat surprised. But reciprocated it quickly. But while she hugged him, she thought about what divided them.  
“you’re a prince,” she said before looking up at him.  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.  
“I didn’t get to and does it really matter?” he asked, tucking away a strand of hair from her face. She looked down.  
“yes, it does. Since I am of no equal standing” she said, looking back up at him. He looked at her with a pondering look in his eyes.  
“so…I shouldn’t feel what I am feeling for you either” she confessed, feeling her heart pump vigorously. She felt the tension build up in her body as he remained silent. In the end, he put his hand on her cheek.  
“then neither should I,” he said and took her other hand in his. She felt feathery light, yet heavy like a stone. She was scared but put her hand on his and leaned against it with her cheek. An involuntarily smile crept on her lips as she looked up at him. He smiled back at her.  
“I’m glad I’m not alone” she joked. He pulled her back to his chest. She grabbed him tightly and pulled him with her into the water. He was surprised at first but dove up from the water with a big smile. They laughed for a bit and started a water fight that ended with her wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. They were mere inches away from each other.  
“If this is our only time together, I’ll cherish it for the rest of eternity” she whispered softly. He looked at her lips and then back at her face.  
“it won’t be,” he whispered lowly. She smiled, leaning her forehead against his.  
“I hope you’re right,” she said.  
“Until then…” he starts.  
“Until then…?” she asked softly. His hand was running through her hair and stopped at the side of her face, his grip was so gentle it was like he held onto a fragile butterfly.  
“I will treasure every moment,” he said, his fthump caressing her cheek softly.  
“I like that idea,” she said, hearing his heartbeat as it flutters in his chest.  
He went to get changes, leaving her to do the same. She closed her eyes, feeling her soft and subtle scales and their attached skin loosen. It fell off quickly, dissolving into nothing in the water, as did her tail. She crawled out of the water, dry and completely healed. She quickly pulled on the clothes and combed through her hair and attempted a simple braid to keep it back. It was not as good as Legolas’ work, yet it was her best work and was somewhat presentable. The clothing she had now was a pure white dress with sleeves of flowing sheer and silver flowers were sewn upon it. She now looked like everyone else here, with their white clothing. It was flattering and made her look like an ethereal elf of Aman, which meant she looked like a magical delicate flower. On a quest, it is not the most practical thing, but if it is only for tonight then it would be alright.  
She walked out of the bathhouse, looking around at the pale light night and once again hearing the song of the elves combined with the flowing water around her. She didn’t know what path to take now since for her they all intermingled into branches of silver with little differences. While she walked, she saw elves observe her carefully, she ignored their stares and looks. Trying to find back to the fellowship, she landed at a dead end that was more of an observation point. It showed her the great forest and a forest in the distance. A soft breeze reached her again as she was now away from the cover of the many trees. Then she remembered the presence that Legolas bore, and that Galadriel was capable to see her from across the forest. Aereth walked back into the city, closed her eyes and tried to focus on his mind. She could sense him, he was back with the others. She could see him turn around to her, she met his eyes and for a second everything was alright again. Suddenly he was gone, the connection lost as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, it was Haldir.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked her, she blinked a few times.  
“Yes, of course, why do you worry?” she asked with a soft smile.  
“because you seem lost to an onlooking eye” he answered.  
“I have trouble guiding myself through the elaborate labyrinth of architecture that this place offers,” she said, looking away from him.  
“May I be of assistance for you then?” he asked. It was now that she realized he was dressed in different clothes again, appearing more homely and less capable of scouting in the woods in his attire.  
“yes, please,” she said. He smiled and nodded in response before walking beside her to her destination. She looked back to where Legolas was, he was gone.  
“You’re powerful, Aereth, you would be much better suited using your gifts than a sword and shield” Haldir spoke, looking at her for a reaction. She smiled politely.  
“thank you, although I see what you mean. It would take the time I do not have at the moment” she answered.  
“There is no burden on you to continued, you could stay here and harvest the gift you have,” he said enthusiastically. She shook her head.  
“I chose this for the safety of my people, Haldir. To quit because of my own desires would be against everything I fight for” she said, looking at him with a determined look. He appeared to respect that.  
“I admire your resolution, Aereth. It is reassuring to know that the fellowship holds at least a few members of reliability.” He said. She was somewhat uncomfortable with that statement, but she knew that there were some that were weaker in this aspect yet held other strengths.  
“thank you” she simply said, not wanting to get into it. She wanted back to the fellowship now and didn’t know where he led her.  
“I promised to meet the others for dinner, will we get there in time?” she asked him softly. His smile soured somewhat.  
“of course, we are almost there,” he said politely. She smiled warmly. They walked along a path with golden flowers. While he seemed to enjoy it, she was very sure they were taking a detour. At the next crossing, she heard a voice she had missed.  
“Aereth, there you are. What are you doing?” Legolas asked her relieved. She turned back to him.  
“Legolas! I was lost and couldn’t find back. Thankfully, Haldir helped me find the way” she said, motioning to the elf beside her who held a polite smile on his face. Legolas turned to him.  
“De athae, Haldir,” Legolas said with a smile. Haldir bowed his head slightly and with a final glance at her, he went away. She looked happily at Legolas.  
“Were you looking for me?” she teased a bit.  
“Yes, we were all thinking the worst when you just disappeared,” he said, holding her hand while walking at a fast pace beside her.  
“Did you feel me calling to you by the observation point?” she asked, wondering if her magic worked.  
“Yes, I did. Was that all your doing?” he asked impressed. She nodded and smiled proudly.  
“Galadriel taught me how to improve. She is convinced that I will be capable of great wonders” she explained.  
“she isn’t alone in that matter,” he said softly. He was walking closer to her now than before, she could feel his breath tickle her skin.  
“Thank you” she whispered back. They arrived shortly thereafter. The others were already eating and drinking. She sat down beside him and Boromir. She turned to the man on her right, he seemed devastated and ate like an ill man.  
“Do you want to tell me your trouble?” she asked him quietly. He shook his head discreetly.  
“no, I just need time,” he said, looking up at her. She understood his pain. She nodded empathetically and offered him a weak smile. He turned back to his food.  
“Did she speak to you too Aereth?” she suddenly heard Merry.  
“excuse me?” she asked, not understanding what he meant.  
“Did Galadriel talk to you through her mind-talking too?” he rephrased it.  
“Yes. But she told me nothing I already knew” she answered. He seemed satisfied with her answer.  
“So, she did speak to everyone, not only you,” Merry said to Pippin. They seemed to have a disagreement. She turned to Legolas.  
“What did she tell you then? If you want to tell me” she said. Adding the last part after knowing now that not everything was very pleasant.  
“she told me that I shouldn’t be afraid to walk along a path that has yet to be made” he responded quietly, it was then it made sense to her why he and Gimli were walking together or why he was now sitting next to him.  
“I see you’re working on it,” she said looking at him and then Gimli. He nodded, she could feel a sense of embarrassment flood over him.  
“Yes, but it is hard since he is quite stubborn in his beliefs” he admitted. She smiled, she was proud of him to give Gimli a chance, even though it wasn’t his own idea. The urge to hug him overcame her, but she kept it in for a little longer.  
“I’m glad you’re improving yourself,” she said with an admiring smile. He smiled, the embarrassment was gone, and she could feel a pride come to him.  
“thank you,” he answered, holding her hand in his.  
“I’m happy to see you two get along again,” Boromir said from beside her. Legolas chuckled and she smiled down at the ground while her hair covered her face. The blush returned to her cheeks.  
“Now you’ve done it, Boromir,” Gimli said with a grin. The good mood was back once again. The dialogue grew louder, happier and more ridiculous than before. She looked up once again and saw smiles and good spirits returning to all of them. 

After a long evening, the lights started to dim, and the conversations started to fade as everyone was getting ready to sleep. Suddenly an elf maid approached Aereth.  
“Lady Aereth, I’m here to escort you to your sleeping chambers” she looked up to her and then back to the fellowship.  
“I’ve shared a campsite with these guys for over a month now. I think I don’t need a separate sleeping place”  
“oh, but we do” Gimli joked. Laughter erupted from the group.  
“No, I’m just messing with you,” he said, hitting her shoulder jokingly. The maid went away.  
“But you do talk in your sleep,” Legolas said with a smile.  
“What?!” she was surprised. How has nobody told her?  
“More singing really” Aragorn corrected. Her mouth opened slightly in disbelief.  
“You didn’t know that?” Sam asked her as he saw her expression. She shook her head.  
“It is very soothing though to hear during nightshifts,” Gimli said, lying in his bed. The maid returned with two others, holding a bed for her.  
“Where would you like to sleep, my lady?” she asked her. Aereth turned to look around.  
“Legolas bed is right here,” Merry said, pointing at it. She sighed and chuckled afterward.  
“Just put it where there’s space,” she said, looking back up at them. They nodded and swiftly put the bed down, next to Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn, and Legolas, of course, they did. A triumphant smile took over Merry’s face.  
“thank you,” she said to the maids who left quickly. She walked into the tent-like structure that was put up for them. It was parted in two through the middle by large roots and the hobbits were on the other side. There was enough air between the roots to see them. Her bed was by the wall, opposite of Gimli and next to Legolas and Boromir. She could see now see a look on Gimli’s face she hadn’t seen before, he looked enamored. In this head was a singular image of Galadriel. She smiled, it was very pure to see him so happy. Boromir entered, with no armor on or shield. He bid her goodnight with a bow of the head, she returned it. Aragorn came in shortly after, followed by Legolas. She was surprised to see that his hair was now completely open, no braids nor any ornaments to hold it back anymore. It was somehow off-putting. He caught her look and smiled.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked, sitting on his bed beside her.  
“Your hair is… I’m not used to seeing it this way” she said, darting between his eyes and his head. Aragorn looked at them with a smile.  
“You might not need the sleep, but others do,” Boromir said from his bed. An agreeing noise came from Gimli. It wasn’t meant for them. It was for Sam, Merry, and Pippin who were talking in loud, hushed voices. She laid down now as well and looked up at Legolas from where she was. He smiled back at her, his long hair hanging down and around them both. Soon everyone laid in bed, she could feel Legolas’s calm breathing, she looked up towards him. He wasn’t asleep. She stroked his hair with her hand, he looked up at her before scooting up so that they were eye to eye. She stopped playing with his hair.  
“do it again, please,” he pleaded and put her hand back. She smiled as she kept playing with his hair, it seemed to relax him immensely as he practically melted away in her hands. She could feel the scent of forest flowers and trees coming from him, it was his scent. She closed her eyes, feeling his presence beside her calmed her intensely.  
“goodnight, Legolas” she whispered before drifting off to sleep.


	11. Water is for fishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young sailor follows the call of a mermaid out on the sea. But it was no mermaid, it was the shadow of one.

She woke up to the gentle singing of birds. She looked around, it seems as if she was the only one awake so far. But as she tried to sit up, she felt held down by an arm around her. It was Legolas’s. She must’ve moved to him in the night. His eyes opened as soon as he felt her sit up. He looked around as he sat up next to her.  
“good morning, light sleeper,” she said to him with a smile. He stretched beside her to wake his muscles for the day.  
“good morning. Weren’t you the one to wake up first?” he smirked, arching an eyebrow.   
“You got me there. I’ll have to change before we leave” she said while standing up. She was still in the white dress. He nodded and let her go through before standing up to get ready himself. The morning mist was heavy yet beams of light still made their way through and reached the ground and the blue waters. She walked away from the sleeping site and closer to the water, washing her face to wake up. She could hear the other members wake up one after another. She sighed while putting her hands in the water and listening for anything. She could feel the rapid beating of the fish as they swam, but nothing more. The closer they got to their destination, the more timid and afraid the wildlife became.  
“My lady? I’m here to give you back your clothing” a maid said, holding it out to her. She looked at it and then back at the fellowship and then back at her.  
“Do you think I’d have the opportunity to get changed somewhere else?” she asked. The maid smiled understandingly.   
“Of course, my lady. We have prepared a room for you, right this way” the maid said and lead her away. The room was bright and lustrous. It was furnished with a vanity mirror with a chair, brush, flowers, hairbands and other accessories & decorations. Across from it was a bed with a swan carved wood as a frame and soft pillows and blanket.   
“thank you” Aereth said to the maid. The elleth nodded and walked out, leaving her to get changed. She looked at her clothes, they had even polished her scale mail. She put it on swiftly and folded the dress neatly to put it on the bed. She then turned to the mirror, her hair would be beautiful to look at, but she knew that there were hundreds of little knots waiting for her. She grabbed a brush and started at the tips and working her way through the masses of hair. Soon a knock was heard from the door, it was the maid.  
“Is everything alright, my lady?” she asked her gently.  
“I’m trying to brush my hair, but it takes a lot of effort and time, I’m afraid,” she told the maid, trying to hurry up.  
“Would you like some assistance with that, my lady?” she asked Aereth, stepping closer.  
“Only if you’d like to,” she said, looking up at the maid who gave her a polite smile.  
“It would be my pleasure” she said and was given the brush from Aereth to continue. She worked fast and efficient, clearly used to working with hair.   
“Has anyone told you, you have beautiful hair, my lady?” the maid asked, putting aside the brush. Aereth smiled.  
“no, that is not usually something I hear” Aereth said overdramatically with a deep sigh. The maid chuckled. She proceeded to braid Aereth’s hair into a practical, yet beautiful hair. On the sides she had small braids that connected with braids from the top in the back into a beautiful flower of hair. It was a shame that she couldn’t be able to wear it to other occasions, such like the meeting with the lord and lady.   
“thank you, it looks beautiful” Aereth said, amazed over the intricate work on her head. The maid nodded with a bright smile. Aereth was guided back to the group by the maid before they parted for the last time. While she had been gone, they all had gotten dressed, packed their bags and were now being served breakfast. The table was packed with elven specialties and more were yet to come. She sat down beside Sam and Aragorn.  
“Good morning” she greeted them. She got some nods, half intelligible responses, and clear responses.   
“Good morning, Aereth. Sleep well?” Sam teased. She smirked.  
“as one would,” she said cheekily. They winked at each other out of fun. Her smile made it hard for her to take a bite, but she managed.  
“eat quickly, we have a far road ahead,” Aragorn said in-between bites.  
“What’s the plan?” she asked.  
“We’re heading south with the Anduin river, the goal is to reach the north undeep in 3 days” Aragorn said. She pondered, not sure if there was a population still living in that river. But the name sounded familiar to her.  
“Is there something you know to the river?” he asked, seeing her expression.   
“I’m not sure about the inhabitants of that river. However, the last information I received was to stay wary of most, since they are prone to vigilance. The last account I got for this river told me that they were more isolated and observant.” She recalled, he listened carefully. Taking every bit of information that was offered to him.  
“Very well, then we will try not to agitate them,” he said.  
“I’ll try to negotiate with them” she responded calmly, he hummed in response before taking a sip of his drink.   
“since I don’t think they will be able to let the water be” She joked. He smiled weakly when he put down the cup.  
“Yeah. But I think they’ve come a long way” he said, looking over at the hobbits, singing, eating and telling stories.   
“they are tough for their young years” she said, smiling proudly of them. in her eyes they were still children, but she wouldn’t call them that openly.  
“they are adults you know,” Aragorn said, she looked at him and then back at them with cluelessness in her eyes.  
“but they are barely in their 30s” she said confused. He smiled.  
“well, unlike immortals. Humans and hobbits die at around 100 years” he explained. Her eyes went wide, and she looked at them all with a concerned look.  
“I see” she said, looking down at the ground. The prominent laugh of Gimli made her look back up.  
“what about dwarves, how old do they get?” she asked. He shrugged.  
“Around 200 to 250” Aragorn answered. It was somewhat devastating for her to know this, knowing they would die so soon. She knew that they would eventually die, but not that young. She thought they would reach around a thousand years of age, but one hundred?   
“How old do mermaids get then?” Aragorn asked her curiously.  
“We do not die. But we are easily decimated by knife, heartbreak and grave sickness” she explained.  
“that is also why our medical care is very sophisticated and improved upon daily” she continued with a smiling mask. Their breakfast was a feast since it was the last one before their departure. But after they were all done and ready to move they were escorted by a group of elven guards through the golden dawn’s mist. She looked around and saw the curious eyes of onlookers, amongst them, was a child. She smiled at it, the boy hid behind his father. She looked back on the road, elvish children were very cute and rare. In Aman, she had only seen about 4 in her entire life, yet it was the same for mermaids. That is also why children held a special place in her heart and why the hobbits brought her so much joy. On a sunlight clearing, they were met by Celeborn and a group of elves, holding what looked like towels to her. They stood opposing each other, one elf in front of a member of the fellowship.   
“The journey that awaits you now will be long and exhausting. We will give you a departing gift as the sign of our gratitude and aid” Celeborn spoke before stepping a step closer to Aragorn, shortly followed by the others. Amongst them was Haldir, who put the cloak on Legolas. The elleth in front of Aereth clasped the green and silver leaf brooch on her neck.   
“Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people,” Celeborn spoke again before they took a step back. Aereth kept friendly eye contact with the elleth and a warm smile grew on the elf’s pretty face.   
“May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes.” He continued. The fellowship bowed in respect and Celeborn looked over to his left, where now Galadriel stepped forward, followed by her own entourage. She stepped in front of them with a warm smile.  
“Even the darkest shadow can exist when there’s light. But it will make way for even the dimmest of lights” Galadriel said, it was most likely meant for Frodo. the elves that came with her now proceeded to give to each member of the fellowship an item. A young ellon came to Aereth, holding a sophisticated weapon, a spear. She looked at it and waited for Galadriel to address her. but she started with Boromir.  
“A belt of golden leaves. May it give you the power you need” Galadriel said with a smile, he looked consent with his gift. It glittered like sunrays on a field of marigolds. He bowed.  
“thank you, Lady Galadriel,” he said. She moved on to Merry and Pippin. They were given silver belts with golden flower clasps and daggers.  
“These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war. And a belt of silver to protect you from the darkness of the mind” She said. Pippin looked unsure about his gift, it was fear. Most likely the fear of wielding a weapon in war.  
“Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage.” Galadriel’s soothing voice said to him. they both bowed in gratitude. She noticed that they were all escorted away after their receiving of gifts. She moved on to Sam. Who was given a rope and a box engraved with the letter “G”.  
“And for you, Samwise Gamgee, a skilled Gardner, a nut from the Mallorn tree, the last east of the sea and west of the mountains and elven rope made of hithlain” Galadriel said, he bowed and thanked her for the gift. Aereth was surprised to hear it, Mallorn trees are usually native to Aman. But it seems that Galadriel took a few with her when she got exiled. Galadriel was now in front of Aragorn.  
“To you, Aragorn, I gift the Elessar, may it heal your every illness for as long as you wear it. But I’m afraid that I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear.” Galadriel said looking at the necklace.  
“Am meleth dîn. I ant e-guil Arwen Undómiel ... pelitha.“ She spoke in Sindarin.  
“Aníron i e broniatha ar periatham amar hen. Aníron e ciratha a Valannor.” Aragorn responded in the same language, it was frustrating to only be able to make out a few words. But not enough to understand.   
“That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make, Aragorn.” Galadriel responded to his words. He straightened up.  
“To rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin.” She continued. Her words were followed by a silence, Aereth agreed with her words. Humans would have to change their behaviour for them to rise above the danger of the darkness, for it preys on greed and selfishness.   
“Namárië (farewell)” she continued once again. He left with a bow. She continued with Legolas, he held a bow of silver coloured wood and was testing its strength. He looked to her like a happy child when they had gotten the gift they had always dreamed about. She was happy about his reaction.  
“My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim. Worthy of the skill of our woodland kin” it was beautiful and bigger than his former bow. Then it was Aereth’s turn. Galadriel walked up to her with a proud smile.  
“Aereth, to you I gift Aeglos. A weapon once held by the last of his name, may it assist you in battle.” She said. Aereth took the spear in her hands, she could feel the wisdom of the blade and its former wielder.   
“Istan tuolya ohtasse, nál melehta ohtar, Alqualauriell. (I know your strength in battle, you are a mighty warrior, daughter of Alqualaurë)” Galadriel continued. Aereth felt unworthy, but grateful that Galadriel saw such potential in her.  
“Haryuvan annalya homenyas (I shall treasure your gift in my heart)” Aereth said with a courtesy. It was in her blood after all. Galadriel seemed to agree, as she nodded approvingly. She then moved on to Frodo. The ellon in front of her escorted her away, to the dock where their boats were awaiting them. The other members that had arrived before her were filling the boats up for the long journey. Legolas was nowhere to be seen, but his old bow sat in one of the boats. She thought about asking Legolas for it, so she could take up archery again. Her father had tried to teach her when she had still been an only child.   
“excuse me” she heard Legolas from beside her, he put down another bag in the boat.  
“Legolas?” she asked sweetly. He hummed in response looking at her.  
“Now that you got a new bow that seems to suit your skill-level more, would you mind if I take your former bow?” she asked, looking at him with anticipation and a big pleading smile. His eyes went slightly wide as he looked back at it.  
“I would love to, however, Aragorn has already asked me the same question and I think it is best if you talk with him, Aereth” he said, successfully getting out of the crossfire. She froze slightly before looking around for Aragorn. She spotted him and ran over to him.  
“Aragorn… I heard you wanted to take Legolas’s old bow? Is there any chance you can tell me why your bow isn’t befitting anymore?” She asked with a sweet smile. He looked up at her and then over to Legolas behind her.   
“The reason I wanted to have it, is because I found the Mirkwood bow to be properly made, you can have mine if you want” he suggested. She was okay with that, she was no master-archer after all and Aragorn would certainly have better use of it.  
“Thank you, I’ll take it” she said happily. But before he could give it to her, he was called over by Celeborn.  
“I need to talk to you about an urgent revelation” Celeborn said ominously, giving her a look of doubt. He looked at her.  
“go on,” she said, and he did. Following the ancient elf up in a tree. She was still holding the spear closely, now inspecting it thoroughly for the first time. It shone like a silver sun and had delicate details, golden vines crept up the blade as it had an elegant curve to it, the grip was of the deepest of blacks and of a non-metal material, yet it was not wood. It had Sindarin inscription on the blade as well, it read:  
”Gil-galad ech vae vaegannen matha  
Aith heleg nín i orch gostatha  
Nin cíniel na nguruthos  
Hon ess nín istatha:  
Aeglos” she read out loud, not sure of the pronunciation. She looked at her fellow fellowship for any aid with this mystery and her eyes fell on Legolas.   
“What does this mean?” she asked, showing him the message. He read it once for himself.  
“Gil-galad wields a well-made spear  
The Orc will fear my point of ice  
When he sees me, in fear of death  
He will know my name:  
Aeglos” Legolas translated, she looked at him for a second pondering on another thought.  
“Your name are the same letters re-arranged, except that there is a L missing” she realised, he gave her a look of amused-confusion, before thinking of her words.   
“you’re right,” he said, with a soft voice, clearly entertaining her morning thoughts.  
“so, I’ll always hold you close in battle” she said, it was cheesy she knew. But he looked at her with such an adorable smile and a hint of a blush on his cheeks.  
“then I hope you’ll fight better from now on” he teased. She chuckled, putting the spear behind her back.   
“I already fight better than most of you” she responded.  
“oh, really?” he challenged her.  
“I bet that I could slay more orcs than you, easily,” she said with a smirk.  
“of course you do, but we have yet to see that day” Legolas responded.   
“Very well then, if I win, you owe me an archery lesson,” she said. He smiled, knowing what she was doing.  
“And if I win, you owe me a swimming lesson” he teased her. His confidence and happiness were enough to make her forget the world. She could feel her head go empty as her cheeks warmed slightly.  
“deal” she said before she couldn’t think anymore. He nodded before walking away and getting the last bags. Her legs gave in and she sat down on the ground, in front of the boat where Merry and Pippin were in. They snickered behind her, she didn’t care. For she was falling for the most amazing person.   
“You alright there, Aereth?” Sam asked her, standing by another boat, smiling knowingly.  
“You know, I think what I told you might be true,” she said, looking over at him with a smile.  
“you are not the only one lovestruck then,” Boromir said and motioned to Gimli, he had a large dreamy smile on his face as if he was in the best dream imaginable.   
“Why are you sitting on the ground?” Gimli asked, clearly in a very good mood.   
“I wanted to meet you on eye-level” she said before standing back up, he chuckled in response. It was clear that this wasn’t their usual Gimli. Now Frodo came up behind him.  
“Ah, Frodo, you’re with me in a boat,” Sam said, waving him over. Then it hit her, she turned around and looked at the boats in fear.  
“Are all of us supposed to travel in these?” she asked.  
“Yes, we talked about the arrangements while you were off dressing” Pippin answered.   
“Am I in a boat?” she asked, even more scared.  
“Yes, you’re with me” Gimli said and stepped up beside him. She wasn’t sure if this was any better.   
“Do you know how to drive these things?” she asked him desperately.   
“No” he said. Her heart almost stopped because of panic.   
“But that’s why Legolas is with us” he continued. As if he was summoned by the mentioning of his name, he returned.   
“Is something the matter?” he asked from behind them, cocking his head to the side.  
“Aereth is scared of boats” Merry exclaimed as an explanation. Legolas raised his eyebrows before looking over at her with a warm smile.   
“It makes sense if you think about it,” Pippin said. Boromir sat down in the boat with them.  
“if you don’t want to ride in a boat, you could just swim,” Boromir said with a smile.   
“I’m fine, I trust the crew of my boat,” she said with an arm around Gimli. Legolas was too far away to do the same on. Now Aragorn returned with Celeborn.  
“Is everyone ready?” he asked, walking over to his boat. Everyone went to their boats, Aereth still held on tightly to Gimli as she watched Legolas jump into the boat without any further issues. She saw Sam enter as well with a little more trouble and Gimli was soon helped into the boat as well.  
“Namárië, Aereth. Nai anar caluva tielyanna. (Farewell, Aereth. May the sunshine upon your path)” she heard Haldir speak from behind her. she turned to him and smiled.  
“Á na márie, Haldir. (farewell, Haldir)” she answered. He bowed his head to her before she turned back to Legolas. She took his hand as she stepped down into the boat. It was uncomfortable for her to be separated from the water this way. She grabbed both Legolas’s arms and held on for dear life.  
“I got you, Aereth” he said calmly as she whimpered when the boat moved a bit. He wrapped his arm around her back as she put down her other foot. He then guided her carefully to her place, she sat down, and Gimli looked back at her from where he sat.  
“It wasn’t that bad” he critiqued her skill to get on a boat. She looked down into the water and saw the gorgeous swirls of blue water forming around the elven boat.   
“As long as you stay calm and don’t lean too far out, nothing will happen” Legolas reassured her. they waited on the other boats before leaving the harbour. It was a silent parting as they noiselessly drifted over the waves. She looked deep into the woods for the last time, taking in its serenity. After a while of quietness and peacefulness, Aereth noticed how quiet Gimli was now.  
“Are you alright, Gimli?” she asked softly  
“I have taken my worst wound at this parting having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me,” he spoke sadly.   
“What was her gift?” Legolas asked.  
“I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three.” Gimli said dreamily. She smiled, looking back into the forest.  
“what an irreplaceable gift,” she said, knowing the value Galadriel’s hair allegedly held. He chuckled absently. Whilst they moved past the border of the city, they saw her. Galadriel stood there, smiling at them. Yet when her eyes met Gimli’s they held a sadness to them. But then they fell on Aereth.  
“Farewell, Aereth. May we meet again in our homeland. For I will leave before your journey will end” she spoke in Aereth’s mind. Aereth bowed her head to the lady. Gimli watched her disappear and from what Aereth could sense, she did too.   
“Aereth! Are we alone in these waters?” Aragorn asked from the boat over. She put her fingers into the deep blue. It was more difficult whilst in motion, yet she could still make out distant echoes of familiar fins, peacefully swimming.  
“in this river we shall be” she answered, returning to her sitting position. He nodded.  
“How do you sense them through water?” Legolas asked her.   
“they probably peed in the water,” Boromir said from beside them, jokingly.   
“I can feel their motion, like the beat of a heart, the swinging of fins or limbs, the rhythm of breathing and the vibration of a voice. And if they are close enough, their body temperature and brain activity” she explained.  
“so, you’re undetectable to her then, Pip” Merry joked with him. Pippin turned around to him. She looked back into the waters again, hypnotized by their beauty. The sun had risen and was now sparkling in the reflection of the waves. She hummed a soft tune as they traveled noiselessly over the water. It was soft enough that only Legolas and Gimli could hear it.  
“Is there a song to the melody?” Gimli asked her, enjoying her song. She looked up from the waves.  
“It’s the fisher’s song, a warning song for men I suppose... Have you heard of it?” she asked, after seeing Legolas’s reaction.  
“I have, yet I do not know the words by heart” he responded, trying to recall them.   
“You could refresh our memories if you'd sing it for us,” Gimli said, awaiting it clearly. She smiled, sitting upright in the boat.   
“laying in a riverbed,  
On the lilies, I rest my head.  
Close my eyes ‘til morning comes,  
When I wake to mermaid hums.

I follow where my heart is free,  
Until at night I reach the sea.  
Close my eyes ‘til morning comes,  
When I wake to mermaid hums.

Her voice is near and yet so far,  
She waits for me on another star.  
Close my eyes ‘til morning comes,  
When I wake to mermaid hums.

The sea is deep, the sea is vast,  
Its temper is what took the mast.  
Close my eyes ‘til morning comes,  
When I wake to mermaid hums.

My throat is dry, my skin will burn.  
No mermaid she was that to me turn.  
I close my eyes and darkness comes,  
Then I heard her siren hums.”


End file.
